Losing My Grip
by bauerfreak
Summary: AU: NS mostly and some GC. Mally Stokes struggles to let Sara into her life and Natalie Grissom is having a hard time escaping Lindsey's shadow. First story in the Mally Universe.
1. Chapter 1

Nick Stokes had just gotten out of the shower on a regular Friday night. He hadn't planned on living his life stuck on graveyard shift hours, but that seemed to be how it was turning out. As a man in his late thirties, he felt like he shouldn't be up at all hours of the night at his age, but he truthfully enjoyed working at night. And now that his daughter was in high school, he didn't feel so guilty about leaving her. She was capable of taking care of herself now, and he figured she probably enjoyed the time away from him. Nick slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans and a white button-up shirt and searched around for his keys. He closed his bedroom door and headed towards another closed door down the hall.

Knock. Knock. "Mally?" He yelled over the chick rock music that was blasting under the door. He heard some happy giggling from within. Her best friend, Natalie Grissom was staying over tonight. Nick didn't have any problems with her friends so far, which he was thankful for. He'd known Natalie since she was born and the girls had been inseparable ever since. Her parents, Gil and Catherine Grissom, had been good friends for years.

Upon knocking another few times, Nick decided to give up and he cracked the door open. Seeing that the girls were decent, he opened the door the rest of the way. Even at fourteen years old, Mally and Natalie still had so much little girl in them. He watched for a few moments as they danced around in their sweats to Ashlee Simpson's "L-O-V-E", completely oblivious to his presence. When he found himself adequately amused, he reached over and turned the volume down, causing both girls to spin around.

"Dad!" Mally screamed, and immediately started giggling along with Natalie. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry I disturbed your sisterhood tribal dance or whatever." He smiled. "I just came to say bye. I'm headin' off to work so I can donate more to the Simpson family fortune."

Mally rolled her eyes theatrically. "Dad, we're not that bad. Be thankful we're not into Marilyn Manson."

"Good point." Nick said. "You two behave, alright? Sara will be back in an hour or two from her conference. She'll probably want to sleep, so can you keep it down?"

"Yes, dad." Mally looked away. She'd known Sara most of her life, but was still getting used to the new living arrangement. Her dad and Sara sat her down about six months ago and asked for her permission for Sara to live with them. Mally was, of course, appalled at the idea of her father being romantically interested in someone, and especially with her living here. She eventually gave in however, though she still wasn't happy about the situation. Sara was nice, but she still wasn't sure about her.

"We will, Uncle Nick." Natalie told him.

"Come here, Mally bug." Nick motioned for his daughter to step closer, holding his arms out. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Bye dad." Mally groaned, signaling she wanted out of the embrace. She had grown accustomed to her dad's constant hugs over the years – something she learned he probably got from seeing so many dead children at his job.

"Tell my dad I said hi." Natalie requested.

"Sure thing, sweetheart." He turned and winked at them as he closed Mally's bedroom door.

Nick got into his truck and pulled out his driveway, turning the radio up. He started singing along to the country song that was on, still very much so a Texan guy. Yes, life was good, he thought to himself. He had a beautiful, healthy daughter and an amazing, loving girlfriend.

Nick got to the Las Vegas crime lab a little after nine o'clock and immediately went to the break room where everyone gathered for assignments, finding Catherine already sitting there.

"Have our little angels burned down the house yet?" She inquired, sipping her cup of coffee.

"Not as of yet." Nick smiled. "Someone else might want to if they keep up their little karaoke party."

"Oh, god, I can't stand it when they start doing that." Catherine admitted. Catherine had been a huge help in Nick's attempt to parent a daughter alone. After Nick's wife disappeared when Mally was two, she had always been there to support the little girl and her father, whether it was babysitting, having woman to woman talks, or even mediating on a few occasions. Mally still confided in Catherine, trusting her more than Sara. Nick wished his daughter would open up more to his girlfriend, but was glad that Mally had a female in her life to open up to.

Gil, Catherine and Nick trusted their daughters fully, which was why they felt it safe to leave them alone together on a Friday night. They'd never given them a reason not to trust them – sure, a few minor scuffs here and there, but they were great kids.

Just then, Grissom came walking in, staring down at a clipboard that he held in his hand.

"Candace and Catherine, you've got a db out in Henderson. Nick, you and I have a double down close to the Bellagio." Gil told them.

"That's it?" Catherine exclaimed. "Two assignments?"

Gil shrugged. "Slow night."

"I guess that's good news."

"For the people of Las Vegas, it is." Nick stretched before getting up and clearing his throat. The CSI's gathered all the needed gear and headed out in their Denalis for what appeared to be a slow night.

Mally and Natalie were still all giggles at the Stokes home on Friday night. Instead of being dressed cozy in their sweats as they had been when Mally's father left, they were now clad in outfits they knew their parents definitely wouldn't approve of. Mally wore a denim mini skirt and two layered tanktops, finished off with some strappy wedges. Natalie wore a blue and white flowered short skirt and low-cut top. They were putting the finishing touches on their hair and make up when Natalie's cell phone rang. She checked the caller ID.

"It's Ryan!" She declared happily.

"Answer it, you nerd!" Mally told her.

"Hello?" She immediately started giggling at something Ryan said. "We just called ourselves a cab. We'll be there in 15. Alright, bye." Natalie flipped the phone shut. "I'm so excited! He's a junior! If he kisses me, I think I'll just die!"

"He did say Jordan would be there, didn't he?" Mally questioned. He was the only person Mally was concerned about being there.

"He should be there." Natalie assured her as she dabbed on some more lip gloss. "If not, you can just shake your ass and get a different guy."

Mally laughed at her friend's comment as they both headed out her bedroom door and down the stairs to the kitchen. She retrieved a pad of paper from one of the drawers and grabbed a pen.

"Okay. Sara will be home in an hour or so. Should I just say we got bored and went over to Ashley's?"

"And to call my cell phone just in case she needs to talk to you."

Mally carefully worded the note to Sara and then placed it on the kitchen counter.

"Alright, bases covered!" Mally proclaimed. The girls heard the honk of their cab outside and smiled to each other as they headed to the door. It was going to be an unforgettable night.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It is much appreciated! Here's the second chapter. I'm open to suggestions about where to go with the story – let me know what you think!

Sara Sidle opened the door to her and her boyfriend's two-story Las Vegas home, thankful that her journey was finally over. She'd been at a forensic conference in L.A. the past three days. All she wanted to do right now was take a nice, hot shower and then climb into her own bed for some much deserved sleep. It was Friday night, however, so she figured she wouldn't be that lucky if Mally was home. Had she ever been that gleeful and as annoyingly teenager-ish as that? She prayed not. Mally was a sweet girl for the most part – Nick had done a wonderful job raising her by himself – but she had a lot of energy.

Sara heard the unfamiliar sound of silence in the house as she plopped her workbag down by the kitchen counter. She immediately noticed a note in Mally's unmistakable scribble. Apparently, she and Natalie had gotten bored and headed over to her friend Ashley's. That was just fine by Sara – she just may actually get some peace and quiet. She decided to call Nick to let her know she got home safe before she took her shower.

"Stokes." He answered in his Southern drawl.

Sara was in mid-yawn and it took her a second to answer.

"Sorry, baby, it's me."

"A little tired there, are we?" he commented. Sara could picture him smiling on the other end. "Too much party hopping in LA?"

"You know me. L.A.'s most wanted socialite."

"You back at home now?" He questioned as he stepped out of the crime scene he and Grissom were investigating at an apartment complex near the Bellagio.

"Yeah. I think I'm just gonna hit the shower and go to bed."

"Good idea, sweetheart. Are Mally and Natalie keeping it down?"

At the mention of Mally, she turned back to the kitchen counter and picked up the note again.

"Actually, she left a note saying they went to Ashley's. Got bored apparently."

"They left the house alone at night?" Sara could tell he was not happy with this.

"Nick, they ARE fourteen. They've been crossing the street for years."

"You never know what kind of scumbags are out there. You and I know that better than anyone, Sara." Nick sighed and rubbed his face. "Alright. I'm gonna call to make sure they got there okay. And tell her to stay put."

"I'll be waiting for you."

Nick laughed and grinned. "Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too."

Nick snapped his cell phone shut and poked his head back in the crime scene.

"Sara's back from her conference." He told Grissom. "And our little angels have apparently headed over to Ashley Graham's house. I'm gonna call to make sure they got there okay."

"They walked?" Grissom looked up from the body of the young girl on the floor. Nick nodded his head as he scrolled down in his phone book for the Grahams' number. "Wonderful. After everything we've talked to her about she does something like that? How far away is Ashley's from your house? Four blocks?"

"Something like that." Nick acknowledged as he pressed send on his cell phone. It rang a few times and finally Ashley's mother picked up.

"Hey, Carolyn. This is Nick Stokes. I'm sorry to bother you. Is Mally over there?"

"No, she's not, Nick. Ashley's not even home tonight. She's at the movies. Is something wrong?"

Nick got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Oh, God, something's happened to her. He'd never be able to forgive himself.

"Shit." He rubbed his forehead. "I…I don't know. She and Natalie Grissom said they were heading over there. Will you keep an eye out for me and call me if you hear anything from her?"

"Of course, Nick. When Ashley gets home, I'll ask her if she knows anything."

"I appreciate it, Carolyn. Bye."

Nick uttered a few obscenities under his breath as he walked back into the crime scene.

"Grissom, the girls aren't at Ashley's house. She's not even home tonight. Something's up."

Grissom stood up and reached for his cell phone.

"Let me call Natalie's cell phone. She's never without it." He said with a concerned look on his face. It was so unlike both girls to not be where they were supposed to be. Grissom dialed his daughter's phone and got her voice mail after a few rings.

"Natalie, it's dad. Your Uncle Nick and I are a little worried because we called Ashley's house to check up on you and you weren't there. We want to make sure you're okay. Call me as soon as you get this."

Nick and Grissom exchanged worried looks. The investigators in both of them were dissecting the girls' note, the fact that Ashley seemed to not be expecting them, and the typical behavior of their kids.

"I think they're up to something, Griss." Nick finally said on gut instinct. "This isn't like them, but they're somewhere they shouldn't be."

Natalie and Mally were having the time of their lives, cups of beer in hand as they danced along to the music with dozens of others at Ryan's house. They'd already lost count of how many drinks they'd had. Ryan and Jordan made sure their cups remained full and stayed close by. This was their first high school party and they were loving every minute of it. A little reserved and shy at first, the alcohol had soon loosened them up and they'd both been flirting like crazy with their crushes. Natalie soon found herself being lead out to the back porch by Ryan, his hands roaming. Their lips soon locked and they were exploring each other passionately for the first time. Mally found herself in a similar situation on the couch with Jordan. She sat on the junior's lap, his hand on her thigh as she willingly allowed his tongue into her mouth. The evening was going perfectly.

"I've got a noise disturbance a couple streets over in a neighborhood area." One of the officers informed Grissom, who had just received the call on his radio. "Sounds like a bunch of kids having a party."

"Thanks, John. We're about finished up here." Grissom responded. Nick had once again stepped out of the room on his cell phone again. He was calling Sara now to see if she could go search for the girls.

"Sara's on her way out to see if they're walking around in the area." Nick informed his boss as he entered the room again. "I feel really bad about this, Gris, they're supposed to be safe at my house, and now…"

"Nick, stop. We've left the girls alone at our house too. This could've easily happened there."

"God, Gris, if anything happens to them…"

"Don't think like that Nick. They're smart girls, even if they made an incredibly dumb decision."

Nick chuckled. "Any luck with Natalie's cell?"

"She turned it off. I guess she knows we're on to them."

Mally was still enjoying the new sensation of a boy's lips on her own; the feel of his hand caressing her thigh. These parties would definitely have to become a regular part of her life, as long as she could keep finding a way to them. Their off to a friend's house ploy seemed to have worked reasonably well so far anyway. As long as she was home at a decent time in the morning and showed no signs of a hangover, she didn't think her dad would be able to tell. He was an investigator, but she was counting on the hard-earned trust he had in her. Her thoughts were interrupted when the music abruptly shut off.

"Everyone stay where you are!" Said a loud voice. Everyone in the room quickly attempted to run for it at the officer's request. All of a sudden, three or four officers were everywhere, trying to round up the kids. Jordan threw Mally off his lap and bolted for the nearby door, while Mally fell helplessly to the floor, too disoriented from the fall and the alcohol to do anything about it. As she tried in vain to lift herself, hearing orders barked by the officers and the frantic shuffle of feet, she felt herself pass out and again fell hard to the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! Let me know what you think!

Mally Stokes slowly opened her eyes expecting to see the pale blue walls of her bedroom, the sun beginning to peek its way through the blinds of her bay window. Instead, she found herself on what she realized was the CSI breakroom couch, an old blanket covering her small body. She'd fallen asleep here many times when her dad couldn't find her a babysitter as a little girl, but she hadn't done that in years. Mally was trying to figure out why the hell she was at her father's workplace when she realized she had a massive headache and then the undeniable urge to puke. She was about to jump off the couch to run for the bathroom when she saw a bucket on the floor next to the couch. Emptying some of the contents of her stomach, she realized someone predicted this may happen. As she took deep breaths, Mally saw someone enter the breakroom out of the corner of her eye, trying to focus on the floor.

"Good morning." Her father's voice greeted her in a tone that told her he wasn't happy. Her rather loud awakening had reached his ears down the hallway, where he had been waiting for her to come to. Mally and Natalie would've been down at the county jail right now if the officers at the scene hadn't recognized their names and called Gil and Nick.

"Hi." She replied weakly, putting her head in her hands, still focusing on her breathing. Nick sat down on the couch next to his daughter and focused at the floor in front of him, his elbows sitting on his knees. Normally when Mally was sick, Nick was by her side, holding back her hair and gently rubbing her back in comfort, but not this time. He didn't feel sorry for her at all. He hoped that her first hangover would teach her a big lesson. "I feel like crap." She muttered, finally breaking the silence.

"That's what consuming God knows how much alcohol will do to you, Mally."

Mally sighed loudly, knowing she'd really be in for it when they got home. She didn't know how soon that would be, seeing as she had absolutely no idea what time of night it was.

"What time is it?" She asked, finally looking at him.

"Three a.m. You've been out for about two hours. Sara will be here in a few minutes to take you home. I'll be home in the morning and you and I will be having a long talk."

"Daaaaad." She whined, collapsing back on the couch. "I screwed up. Can't we just leave it at that?" She tried.

Nick opened his mouth to say something, shocked, and then closed it again for a moment.

"Leave it at that?" He repeated her statement, trying to remain calm. He turned to look back at her on the couch. "Mally, you are fourteen years old and from what I understand, you were partying with junior and senior boys. Do you know what the cops found at the house? Ketamine! That's a date rape drug! Do you understand how easily they could've taken advantage of you? What could've happened to you?" His voice was getting louder, and he fought to keep it down. "Not to even mention the fact you and Natalie were walking around Vegas alone at night! This seriously calls into question your ability to look out for your own safety and my ability to have any trust in you!"

"Dad, you're blowing this way…"

They were interrupted by a knock on the break room door. It was Sara.

"Hey, guys." She called, leaning on the doorway. Mally immediately felt bad, because she could tell Sara really just wanted to be sleeping right now. Sara was dressed in sweats and a tank top with a jacket over the top. "I can leave you alone for a few minutes if you want."

Nick stood up from his place on the couch and turned to Mally, helping her up. "No, Sara, I'm glad you're here. I need her out of my sight right now."

Mally felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart as Nick made his way to the door. Sara gave him a confused look. She'd never seen him this upset and act so coldly towards his daughter.

"Daddy!" Mally called out, tears now streaming down her face. "Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry!"

Nick's eyes remained focused on Sara's. He sighed as he turned to face Mally one last time.

"I need to know one thing, Mally." He started. "How many other times have you taken advantage of my trust for you?"

His words hurt almost as much as his previous comment had. She'd never done anything like this before, but how could she convince of that right now? As she pondered how to answer, it was too much of a pause for Nick.

"I'll see you in the morning." Nick told her, and walked out of the room.

Back at the Grissom household, Catherine was just leading her own daughter back into the house. Luckily, it had been a slow night, so Catherine had been able to take off for a while to get Natalie back home. She had also gotten a similar lecture back at CSI by both of her parents and now Natalie just wanted to crash in her bed and sleep for the entire next day. After a silent ride home, Catherine helped the still woozy girl into the house and up the stairs to her room. When they got inside, Natalie immediately threw herself onto her bed. Catherine went to her bureau drawers and pulled out some pj pants and a tank top.

"Come on, Nat, let's get you changed and into bed." Catherine told her daughter, pulling her to a sitting position by her arms.

"Mommaaaa…" Natalie moaned. "I can get dressed by myself."

"It doesn't appear to be that way." Catherine told her as she reached down to take her shoes off. "Natalie, I gave birth to you. It's nothing I haven't seen. I don't know how many times Lindsey came home like this. I would've hoped you learned something from her mistakes."

Natalie still mumbled angrily as she allowed her mother to get her into her pajamas. Natalie was constantly reminded of her half sister Lindsey's mistakes as a teen each time she slipped up, like she wasn't allowed to make her own. It seemed her parents expected her to use Lindsey as a sort of model for what mistakes not to make. Not that Lindsey was a horrible person, but she'd gotten herself into her fair share of pickles. Lindsey was away at college now, but Natalie was reminded of her all the time.

Catherine pulled back the covers to Natalie's bed and helped her scoot underneath, tucking her in.

"I have to get back to work, but we'll be back in the morning, okay?"

"Okay." Natalie muttered, dreading lecture number two in the morning.

"Natalie, your dad and I were very disappointed in your decisions tonight, but we still love you. We don't want anything to happen to you."

"Moooom! Okay, I get it! Just let me sleep!" Natalie threw her hands up to her face.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew." Catherine offered as she patted her hand. "Goodnight. See you in the morning." With that, Catherine got up and turned off the light. She looked back at Natalie one last time as she closed the door.

Mally Stokes had been crying or sniffling nonstop since her father abruptly left the room back at CSI. Sara was now driving the overly emotional teen back to their house not knowing what to say. She didn't want to tell Mally everything would be just fine, because she was personally frightened for the girl. Sara had never seen Nick so upset with his daughter. She'd screwed up big time and they both knew Nick would be laying in to her when he got home. Sara decided she would try to talk him down as much as she could, but she needed to stay out of this argument.

"He hates me…" She sobbed into a tissue.

Sara sighed. "Mally, he doesn't hate you. He's just disappointed and he knows you're growing up. He wants you to be safe."

"I can't believe I let Natalie talk me into this. It was so STUPID!"

"Well, Mally, I think being remorseful will help when you talk to him. He'll feel better if you admit you made a mistake. That was really dangerous, Mally. You just scared the crap out of him."

"He'll still ground me." She sniffled.

"Of course he will, Mally. You deserve that. You made a major mistake."

"And things were going so well with Jordan…" She went on. "He finally kissed me tonight. But I don't know where he went after the cops showed up."

Things were starting to click for Sara now. She'd done this all for a boy. And the little pipsqueak probably ditched her as soon as the cops showed up. Sara was a strong woman. How could Mally let herself be used like that? She didn't understand teenagers. Sara had to admit she wasn't "popular" like Mally in high school, so she probably didn't get what was so important about this one boy. But she did understand a girl going through her first crush and possibly a first broken heart.

"Mally Elyse Stokes, don't you ever base your actions on what a boy thinks. If you are doing whatever it takes to chase after him, you are going to end up looking like a fool." Sara said, a little firmer than she thought she knew how.

"What would you know about it?" Mally looked out the window with her arms crossed.

Sara glanced over at the girl.

"A lot actually." She paused for a moment. "Tomorrow, you and I need to have a talk about the male species.

"Whatever." Mally said, keeping her eyes focused on the dark passing scenery. Inside, she was hopeful about the declaration Sara had just made. She had to admit she'd had trouble warming up to Sara. She always seemed uncomfortable around her – just someone she had to put up with to be with her dad. But just maybe she could help her out with this guy thing. It's something she wouldn't dare talk to her father about. He would just freak out. Maybe Sara could help her with this guy thing. Mally allowed herself a small smile as they pulled into the driveway of their house.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you think!

Nick returned home after what turned out to be a long and stressful shift Saturday morning. In between investigating a triple homicide and dealing with Mally's fiasco, he was spent for the night. He quietly walked up the stairs, unbuttoning his workshirt as he went. The morning light was beginning to pour through the windows. Nick gently opened the door to his daughter's room and his eyes fell upon her sleeping form. The CSI had always had a thing for watching her sleep. He checked on her each morning when he came home. Mally always looked peaceful, but this morning he could tell she'd had a rough night. Sprawled out on her back with the covers kicked off, her arm sat protectively across her stomach. Nick sighed to himself, deciding to give her a couple more hours of rest. He needed it too, he decided.

Closing the door, he headed for the master bedroom, where he found his Sara sleeping peacefully. He could tell she was exhausted from both her trip and having to help him with Mally. Nick quickly finished stripping off his shirt and jeans and crawled into bed, trying not to wake Sara. As he settled in, however, her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey." He reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand and then gently kissed her on the lips. "Go back to sleep."

"Is Mally alright?"

Nick inhaled sharply. "She's sleeping for now. I'll give her a couple more hours."

Sara paused before she continued, not knowing how hands-on she should be with this issue. "Nick, I know you're angry, but…"

"Sara, let's not get into it right now. She knows how I feel about parties like that and she snuck out. She knows there will be consequences."

"She was really upset when you walked out."

Nick rubbed his face as he laid on his back. "She was trying to make excuses and I didn't want to snap at her."

"Yeah, but she thinks you hate her."

"Sara, she can't expect me not to be angry with her about this. I mean, I've known her a lot longer than you and I don't even know why the hell she pulled something like this. It's not like her. She's always been an angel."

Sara had been living with the family of two for about six months now and Mally had only gotten in trouble one other time for moaning and avoiding her chores one day. All Nick had to do was give her a death glare and tell her she wouldn't be going anywhere until they were done.

"Jordan Matthews." Sara said simply. From what she'd gotten from Mally last night, he'd ditched her at the party after they made out.

"Huh?" He looked at her.

"She did it for a boy, Nick, and she got her heart broken. Just keep that in mind."

Nick sighed. "Thanks. She's still grounded."

"I know." She snuggled back into his arms and he kissed her head. They managed to catch a couple hours of sleep before they needed to get up and face the day.

At about nine a.m., a newly showered Nick Stokes opened his daughter's door once again. Thankfully, he had this Saturday off so he could deal with the situation properly, and he was dressed comfortably in black and white Adidas pants and a black t-shirt. Mally was still sleeping and he knew she'd sleep until noon if she could, but he wasn't about to give her that luxury. He strode over to her window and opened the blinds, letting the sun pour in. Mally immediately shielded her eyes and moaned the way only a tired teen girl can.

"Daaad!" She complained groggily when she saw him standing over her bed, hands in pockets.

"Time to get up, Mal." He told her. He went to her bureau drawers and fished her out some comfortable clothes consisting of the black yoga pants she loved to wear on the weekends and a gray girlie-style muscle tee before depositing them at the foot of her bed. "You need to hit the shower and get dressed. Then we've got a lot of talking to do." He reminded her, putting his hands on his hips.

Mally groaned again at the reminder and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. Nick was still angry with her, but his fatherly instincts took over. He sat on the edge of her bed and gently felt her forehead with his warm hand.

"How you feeling?" She felt a little warm to him.

"I didn't think you cared." She said, suddenly finding her chewed-on nails fascinating. Nick gave her a look.

"Of course I care. I was pretty angry last night, Mally. Can you blame me?"

He dropped his hands to her chin, tilting it to the side when he spotted a dark mark on her neck.

"Is that what I think it is, Mally?" His eyebrows raised. She didn't answer, so he decided to drop it not wanting to embarrass her anymore. His thoughts returned to what Sara had said about a broken heart.

"You okay? You didn't get hurt last night, did you?"

"I'm fine." She answered shortly, not making eye contact.

"Alright. I'll see you downstairs in half an hour." He kissed her forehead and proceeded out of her bedroom so she could get ready.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

"Okay, Natalie. Let's start from the beginning." Catherine started. She and Natalie were both sitting on her bed while Gil stood before them, pacing a bit with his arms crossed.

When she didn't answer, Catherine prompted her a little more.

"Whose bright idea was it?"

"Mine." Anger tinted her voice.

"Nat, you better start talking." Gil finally said, annoyed at her short answers and attitude. "We'd appreciate it if you started being honest with us."

"I bet you would."

"Let's lose the attitude."

Natalie sighed, knowing stalling wasn't going to get her anywhere. Her parents investigated for a living so they were going to find out one way or another.

"Both Mally and I have been trying to see more of a couple of guys."

"Which guys?" Catherine asked.

"Ryan Jennings and Jordan Matthews."

"And how old are these boys?"

"They're both juniors." She swallowed. She heard both parents sigh in disappointment. "Okay, before you start about their ages, you have never met them, so you don't know anything about their character."

"I know they ditched the two of you when the cops came." Catherine told her. "I think that says something."

"Natalie, you know the rules about hanging out with boys. We have to meet them first before you go anywhere with them." Gil continued.

Natalie had enough and stood up.

"Why do you have to make up all these stupid rules before of what Lindsey did?" Her voice was raised. "Just because she acted like a slut and threw herself at guys doesn't mean I will!"

"Natalie, do not speak about your sister that way!" Gil reprimanded. He rarely raised his voices, but did not tolerate this type of talk from either girls.

"It's true!" She went on, but lowered her voice. "You wouldn't even think twice about letting me go if Lindsey hadn't screwed up so much."

"We are not talking about Lindsey right now, we're talking about you." Catherine jumped in. "And at no time would I ever allow you to hang out with guys two years older than you at a party with alcohol. You shouldn't have even been there."

"Whatever." She said in a typically teen attitude. In her mind, Lindsey had really screwed her life over. Because of all the mistakes her older sister made, she wasn't allowed to do anything. Her parents had no trust in her for no reason at all.

"Natalie, what you seem to be forgetting is that you made the decision to sneak out and go to an unchaperoned party with alcohol. No matter what Lindsey did, you'd still be in big trouble." Gil reminded his daughter.

"We're not trying to ruin your fun. We want you to be safe, Natalie."

Natalie was still really angry, but she bit her tongue, staring at the floor to avoid getting into any more trouble.

"Your mom and I are going to go discuss your punishment. We'll be back in a while."

Catherine got up and followed her husband out the door, leaving a still furious Natalie on her bed. When the door was closed, she threw a shoe at the door and let out a loud, annoyed groan.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

"Does she have to be here?" Mally asked, glaring at Sara. She was currently sitting at the kitchen table, waiting to get the inevitable lecture from what she thought would just be her father. She didn't see why Sara was here too.

"If by 'she', you're referring to Sara, then yes." Nick answered from the other side of the table where he stood next to Sara. "She is a part of this family now too." He looked over at Sara, who didn't seem too affected by the comment. She had dealt with murderers and child abusers before, and Mally didn't seem to faze her. Sara had been uneasy about talking to Mally with Nick, but he'd insisted on showing they were now a united front. Mally needed to learn to respect and listen to Sara now too. Nick was very careful about the women he allowed into Mally's life and wouldn't be including Sara if he didn't feel she was the one.

Mally rolled her eyes and rested her head in her right hand lazily.

"Sit back up." Nick told her. Mally did so noisily and glared back at him.

"How long had you been planning to go to this party?" He started, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just a couple of days."

"And why did you feel you needed to sneak out to go to it?" He started walking around the table. He tried not to bring the interrogation-style way he dealt with suspects home, but he found it hard in this situation.

"Because I knew you'd say no."

"Why do you think that is, Mally?" Sara asked.

Mally looked up at Sara and didn't answer immediately like she had been when Nick asked her questions. Finally, she shrugged.

"I think you do know, Mally." She continued. "He's looking out for your safety."

"Just because you investigate crime scenes for a living doesn't mean every teen party turns out in murder or a drug overdose."

Nick leaned one hand on the table and stooped his head down to get closer. "Do I need to remind you what they found at the party, Mally? A date rape drug. I haven't been lying to you about the dangers of these types of parties, young lady. It's real."

Mally continued to stare at the table.

"Mally, we want to be able to trust you. How do you think this makes us feel?" Sara questioned her.

The girl slapped a hand on the table in annoyance. "Would you stop talking to me like I'm your daughter? I don't care what you think! I wish you would just leave!" Her tone was angry and defiant.

"Mally Elyse Stokes, you apologize this instant!" Nick ordered, one hand on his hip and the other pointing towards Sara.

"Like hell I will!"

"Go to your room!" He pointed. Mally didn't argue and angrily pushed her chair out, storming upstairs to her room. "You can come out when you can talk to Sara with respect."

Nick was shocked at Mally's disrespect of Sara. If there was one thing he didn't tolerate from his daughter, it was disrespect towards him and any other adult. He'd raised her the old-fashioned Texas way, to always respect her elders, especially her parents. Or, in her case – parent, up until now. It had taken her only one sore bottom as a young child to learn not to play that card with him. He was shocked that now at the age of fourteen she thought she could try it with Sara.

Nick shook his hand angrily and kicked one of the chairs at the table. "Unbelievable." He started pacing.

"Nick, it's okay. I know she's upset." Sara tried to dismiss it. She had a few angry words for Mally but could also understand where the girl was coming from. All of a sudden, Sara was in her life without any real choice.

"No, it's not okay. She knows better."

"Nick, I think I need to stay out of the discipline until she's more comfortable with me. I don't blame her for being angry."

Nick walked over to his girlfriend and placed his hands lovingly on her hips. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it was too soon."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He ran his hands up and down her arms.

"It's okay. I was just trying to supportive."

"Thank you." Nick gave her a soft kissed and then pulled back to look at her. She was trying so hard to bond and get along with Mally, and it made him fall even more in love with her. He leaned back in for another kiss, this time taking his time. Working his lips sensually with hers, he tried to let her know how much she was appreciated and how beautiful she was. After a few moments, he pulled back again and kissed her forehead lovingly.

"I'll be back. I'm going to go deal with the ray of sunshine."

"Good luck." She told him. Nick turned around and gave her a wink as he headed up the stairs.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks again for reviewing, everyone! Let me know if there's anything you think should happen next…open to suggestions. : ) Please enjoy and review!

Nick Stokes decided not to bother knocking on his daughter's door. He wouldn't give her the courtesy after she had been so disrespectful to Sara. She was laying on her bed staring up at the ceiling with her arms crossed in anger across her chest when he entered. Immediately, she sat up.

"Have you heard of knocking?" The girl spoke with conviction and anger.

"Watch your mouth." He warned her, putting his hands on his hips, walking over to where she sat. "You wanna tell me what just went on down there?"

"I'm not going to let her sit there and talk to me like I'm her daughter. I am not and I will never be. You keep trying to pretend we're a family. You may want it but I don't!"

Nick sighed, suspecting that Sara living with them was still uneasy for his daughter. This morning had merely been the stick that broke the camel's back, so to say. He wasn't going to excuse her behavior, but Nick knew that when Mally acted up, usually something was bothering her. He was never the type of dad that would just say 'tough' and put an end to the discussion. Nick really wanted to know what was getting to her and how to fix it.

He pulled the chair out from her desk and sat down, leaning forward on his elbows.

"Mally, I know you're still not totally comfortable with Sara and if that's the way you feel, that's okay. But I have raised you to be respectful of all adults. And talking to her like that will not be tolerated. You can express yourself in another way."

"What has she ever done to deserve my respect?"

"She is an adult and she is my girlfriend, Mally." Nick tried to explain calmly. Growing up, he had been taught to show respect towards adults no matter what, but Mally seemed to think differently. "What has she ever done not to deserve your respect?"

Mally looked down at the floor, uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how to answer so she remained quiet. Sara had never done anything mean to her. She just didn't like the idea of her all of a sudden being part of her life without any say so from her. Nick sensed her uneasiness and had an idea.

"Come on. Let's go outside." He suggested, getting up and patting her on the side of her arm. "We'll throw the ball around, just you and me." Nick had taught Mally to play catch when she was four and it had been a bonding, calming activity for the pair ever since. Now in high school, she was part of the softball team and she still treasured this pastime she had with her dad.

She hesitated a moment, knowing he was trying to coax her out of her bad attitude, but she relented in the end. Mally went to her closet and retrieved her well worn-in mitt and followed her father out the door and down the stairs. She pulled her beautiful dark brown hair up into a messy bun. Nick grabbed his mitt and a ball out of the closet downstairs and the pair headed to the back yard, taking their places on opposite ends of the yard, though still in talking distance.

"You ready?" Nick called.

Mally merely nodded, still not in a talking mood, pounding her free left hand into her mitt. Nick sailed one to her and she caught it with ease, loving the sound of the ball hitting the leather glove. She took it out and threw it back to her father. Her aim was a bit to the side, but Nick moved skillfully to catch it. They threw it back and forth a few times silently, just the sounds of leather on leather filling the afternoon air.

"Are you ready for your game coming up against the Bulldogs?" Nick finally asked as he pitched to Mally.

"Dad, we'll never beat them. They're number one in the state."

"Never say never. You gotta give it a chance. I've seen you girls working hard."

"Well, I don't think we will." She muttered. She knew he was trying to make some comfortable small talk to make way for the bigger issue at hand. They threw for another minute or so in silence. She decided to break the tension and spoke first.

"Dad, it's not like I don't like her. I just wish she would stop pretending she's part of the family. It's like she's trying too hard. She's forcing it."

Nick smiled inwardly, glad that she decided to bring it up before he did.

"And how might she go about not pretending she's part of the family?"Mally thought for a couple throws and catches. "I don't know."

"What's really bothering you, sweetheart?"

Silence.

"I don't want things to change." She said softly, Nick barely hearing her. He held on to the ball and walked to where Mally was standing.

"Baby, me being in a relationship with someone is never going to change how I feel about you. You are the most important thing in my life."

Mally started getting a little teary-eyed. "But it's not the same. She's always around and you're always around her. It's never just us like it used to be and I…I just want it to go back to how it was before."

Nick then took Mally into his arms in the middle of their backyard as she started to quietly sob. He stroked her back gently as he let her cry and let out her emotions. Mally had been more distant from him since Sara moved in, but she had also started high school about the same time. He didn't know how much of it was her growing up and wanting to be independent and how much of it was uneasiness about Sara. He cursed himself for not being more in tune with Mally. She'd been his bud all these years and he should've been watching closer.

"Shhhhh….it's okay." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her head. When he finally heard her tears subsiding, he pulled back and she wiped her eyes.

"Mally, I could never love you any less because I'm with Sara, and I'm sorry if you felt that way. But what I think you're not seeing is that Sara loves you too."

"No she doesn't. She puts up with me." She remarked.

"No, Mally bug, you're wrong." He chided gently. "You don't know how many times she's been worried about you and happy for you, and how much we've talked about how wonderful you are. She does love you. You just haven't let her in. But now's your chance."

He'd always had knack for coaxing her to do what he wanted, she thought to herself. He made it sound so logical and so right to trust Sara. Mally knew she was being stubborn about opening up to Sara and she'd been just as stubborn to admit. Now she was starting to see how unfair it was.

"So will you try? For me?" He pleaded. Mally looked up at her father for a moment before she answered.

"Okay, dad. I'll try."

"That's my girl." He pulled her into a hug again and patted her on the back. "Now I think you owe Sara an apology for how you spoke to her earlier. Let's start with that." Nick suggested.

"Yes, sir." She sighed a little as they started to head inside, his arm still draped around her shoulder. They walked together to where Sara was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Hey guys." She greeted them with a smile. With the look on their faces, she could tell they had just been discussing her. Mally looked a little ashamed but feeling brave with Nick's arm supportively on her shoulder.

"Can I talk to you Sara?" The girl asked timidly.

"Of course, Mally." She sat up to make room on the couch giving a knowing smile to Nick. Nick gave Mally a kiss on the head and then went upstairs to leave the girls alone.

Mally sat down and nervously looked down at her hands. She seemed unsure of how to begin and Sara could tell she was trying to apologize.

"Mally." Sara started for her. "I know this is a big change, your dad having someone else in his life and all. It's just been the two of you pretty much all your life, right?" Mally nodded in response.

Nick had told Sara he'd never really had a serious girlfriend since Mally was born. He'd had a few now and then, but he was very concerned about what effect they'd have on Mally. He didn't want to do anything to upset his little girl. He was very careful about who he let into her life. Nick told her that she'd been the only one he'd ever really felt comfortable allowing into Mally's life. But the concerned father had many sleepless nights before asking Sara to move in with them.

"I just want you to know that I care about you too and want to get to know you. I want you to be comfortable with your dad and I living together. I'd never want to try to take the place of your mother, but I would like us to be friends."

Mally took in Sara's words before continuing herself.

"I know I've been a pain in the ass so far. I've been trying really hard at that." She smiled a little bit and Sara smiled back. "I'm really sorry about the way I spoke to you earlier. You were just trying to help. But I just felt you were…"

"Butting in where I shouldn't be?" Sara finished for her and smiled. "I know. I felt totally uncomfortable doing that, but your dad and I thought we'd give it a try. That wasn't fair to you when you're not comfortable with me yet. Your dad and I talked and we agreed I should stay out of the disciplining for now at least."

"Okay. Thanks, Sara." She looked at her dad's girlfriend and sensed a feeling of mutual understanding for the first time. Sara felt it too. They were beginning to understand one another. Mally could see that Sara was just as uneasy about this new arrangement as she was, but she sure was trying. Sara was really trying. "Sorry again."

"That's okay." Sara accepted. "Shake on it?" She suggested, not wanting to push a hug or anything. Mally gladly held out her hand and the two shook hands.

"Dad still hasn't told me what my punishment is yet. I wish he'd just get it over with."

"Well I think he's glad that he knows what was bothering you so much. He talks so much about what a good kid you are. He said this really wasn't like you."

"So you think he'll forget about it?" She smiled hopefully, knowing that he wouldn't.

"Nice try. He said he's definitely not going easy on you."

"I know he won't." Mally admitted.

"Let's go find him." Sara suggested, standing up. The two headed up the stairs to find Nick.

"I wonder how Natalie's doing." Mally thought out loud.

"I don't know, Mal. You'll have to call her later."

"If I'm not grounded from the phone." She smiled.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a little while since I've updated this story – I have also been working on "Single Daddy", which is a companion piece to this fic. Please give it a try if you haven't already! gives pleading look. Please please please review! If just a few of you that have this story on alert would review, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks again for reading! I hope you like!

Natalie heard a knock on her bedroom door after she'd been sitting alone in her room on Sunday afternoon. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone anymore but knew she'd just get into more trouble if she started with her attitude again.

"Come in." She said, without her usual pep. Her father poked his head in the door and he actually looked to be in a good mood.

"Natalie, come downstairs. Lindsey's home from school. She surprised us." Natalie could tell her father was really happy to see her – ah, the prodigal daughter returns.

"I can't. I'm grounded." Natalie said simply. She was going to use it against them as much as possible

Gil sighed and stepped into the room fully.

"Natalie, don't be ridiculous." He walked over to her, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I can't go anywhere, remember?"

"Seeing your big sister doesn't count. You can come downstairs if you promise to be civil and halfway cheerful."

"Cheerful!" She almost shrieked. "I've been grounded for a month and you want me to be cheerful? What have you been taking, dad?"

Gil grabbed his daughter's hand and started to pull her up and Natalie reluctantly let him. She really wasn't that excited to see her sister. Natalie and Lindsey just weren't really that close. Perhaps it was due to all the crap Lindsey used to pull in high school and the fact Natalie's life was hell now because of it. Or perhaps it was because no matter what Lindsey did, her parents always seemed to favor her.

"Come on." He coaxed her. When she started walking by herself, Gil let go of her hand and they both walked downstairs where Lindsey and Catherine were busy talking about all sorts of wonderful, boring things.

"I love my forensics classes at school." Lindsey was saying. "It is so fascinating and the professor is by far the best I've ever had."

"Lindsey, you've only been there for two semesters."

"I know." She smiled. "But I absolutely love it." Lindsey turned her head to see her little sister standing next to the kitchen counter looking less than enthralled to see her.

"Natalie!" Lindsey unenthusiastically called her sister. She got up to give her a hug and Natalie reluctantly accepted, giving her mother a frown over the 19-year-old's shoulder. "How ARE you?" She said a little too enthusiastically, making the fact that she didn't really care for her sister either readily apparent.

"I'm a fourteen year old trapped in hell. How are you?" Natalie could feel her parents both giving her the death glare but she chose to ignore them.

"Awesome. I LOVE UNLV! It's so much better than….well, it's really great." She stopped herself before it was too late. Natalie had to admit that she'd give anything to be in Lindsey's shoes right now – to be away from her parents and away from her sister's shadow.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart." Gil wrapped his arm around Lindsey and she put her hand on his arm, bathing herself in his praise. The sight made Natalie want to vomit. Now Lindsey acted like Gil was her best friend, but she had acted to awfully towards him while in high school. Lindsey wasn't actually Gil's real daughter, but he had adopted her when she was about ten years old after he'd been married to Catherine for a few years. Lindsey was ecstatic at the time, but as she reached her teen years, she started to pull the 'you're not my real dad' card. The two were at each other's throats most of the time she was a teenager, and it was sickening to Natalie to watch. Lindsey was so selfish and ungrateful! Natalie rolled her eyes at the sight of the two.

"Do you have something wrong with your eyes, Natalie?" Lindsey called her sister on the gesture.

Natalie just glared back at her sister with her arms crossed and then went to the cabinet to get a snack. Lindsey sighed and let herself out of her father's embrace.

"You know, Natalie, you can be pretty immature for someone who claims to know it all." Lindsey started.

"Oh, stick your thumb up your ass! At least I don't try to pretend I'm something I'm not!"

"Natalie Marie!" Both parents chimed at the same time, shocked at their youngest daughter's language. Natalie really didn't care what her parents said at this point – she was already grounded for a month anyway.

"That's okay, guys. She knows she's just a pretender."

"Bitch." Natalie muttered under her breath as she walked out of the kitchen. This was just the weekend from hell, Natalie thought to herself. She marched back up to her room where she would be spending most of her time that weekend.

Nick and Sara sat close together on the couch that afternoon, lazily exchanging a series of mind-numbing kisses. The pair rarely got the chance to make out on the couch, but today Mally was up in her room sulking after being handed her punishment for her night of fun. Nick delighted in the tiny gasps and whimpers coming from Sara as they slowly but sensually worked their tongues against each other's, properly exploring each other's mouths like it seemed they rarely got to nowadays. Her hand snaked up the front of his shirt, grazing her nails over his perfectly sculpted chest and stomach. Nick gently began to push Sara back onto the couch and she giggled when she realized what he was doing. He began placing open mouthed kisses on her neck and was slowly working his way down when the telephone rang. Nick's headed jolted up at the sound and Sara smiled up at him.

"Whoever that is, I'm going to put a hit man out on 'em." Nick claimed, giving Sara a lusty kiss as he rose from the couch. Mally came bolting down the stairs at the sound of the phone, praying it was for her. "Mally, get back up to your room, now." Nick told her sternly as he reached for the phone.

"But, dad!"

"Upstairs, now, young lady." Mally gave a huff and slowly started her ascent back up the stairs. "Hello?"

"Uncle Nick?" A familiar voice came on the phone, and he could tell she'd been crying. Nick looked up at the stairs to see if Mally was gone. She was out of sight, at least, so he decided it was safe.

"Natalie, are you alright, sweetheart?" Nick cared for Natalie like a daughter also. Their girls had grown up together and they'd all helped raised both of them.

"I…I don't….I need to talk to Mally." She spat out.

Nick sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. Sara heard who it was and had gotten up off the couch and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Natalie, she can't come to the phone right now. And I doubt you're allowed on the phone either. Am I right?"

"I know, Uncle Nick, but I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't really important."

"What is it, Nat?" Nick probed. Natalie paused on the other end of the line, sniffling a little bit.

"It's just…Lindsey's home. And I…I need Mally to talk me back into sanity before I murder her."

"Lindsey's home, huh?" Nick smiled a little. He knew the two girls didn't get along at all. Over the years, he'd gotten used to the constant drama and he knew Mally had been a key player in keeping Natalie from jumping her older sister. "And why should I trust you, Natalie? Last time we trusted you, you girls ended up sneaking out and going to a party."

Natalie rolled her head back in annoyance. It was like having two fathers – Uncle Nick was just as hard on her as her real one.

"Uncle Nick, I'm sorry, but we…"

"I hope you are, Natalie, because you scared the crap out of all of us. No, Mally cannot come to the phone and I need to speak to your mom or dad."

"God! Is everyone out to ruin my life?" Natalie yelled as she threw the cordless phone on her bed. Nick sighed when he heard what she said over the phone. Sara had come over and wrapped her arms around Nick from behind, seeing that he was getting upset. He rubbed the arm that was covering his stomach.

A minute or so later, Nick heard someone pick up the phone.

"Hello? Nick?"

"Catherine, hey. So, I hear Lindsey's home for the weekend."

"Yeah, but Natalie kind of ruined the party."

"She's not too happy about it, I hear."

"That's an understatement. I didn't hear the phone ring. Did Natalie call you?"

"Yeah, she was asking for Mally but I grounded her from the phone, among other things."

"Super. Just great." Catherine muttered, rubbing her eyes in frustration. "Nick, she has been back talking like you wouldn't believe. It's like she's changed overnight. She's so angry. And Lindsey coming home isn't making it any better. I mean, Gil and I were thrilled to see her, but not the best timing."

"I'm sorry, Catherine. Look, I know this is really not like them, but I really haven't been dealing with this lightly, have you? I mean, I can't have Mally trying to pull this kind of crap all throughout high school, so I'm trying to come down hard on her now."

"Oh, I agree one hundred percent. And Natalie's not taking it well at all. But she's like a caged animal right now."

"I hate to do it, but I think we need to keep them away from each other as much as possible." Nick suggested. Normally, they were perfectly behaved, but Nick was the type of dad who still came down hard when Mally misbehaved, though rare.

"Nick, I don't think we can." Catherine admitted. "I mean, they're both on the softball team and in dance together, and they see each other at school."

Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration again. "Yeah. Well, as much as possible. I've taken away Mally's phone and laptop. That should cut down on most of their communication."

"We've done the same." Catherine told him. "That's about all we can do."

"Alright. Well, good luck with the girls. See you at work."

"Bye Nick."

Nick clicked the phone off and turned around in Sara's arms, kissing her on the head.

"Day one, and they're already trying to pull crap." Nick sighed, continuing to hold her.

"Nick, call me crazy, but do you really need to keep them away from each other?"

Nick pulled back a little bit to look at her. "She's grounded, Sara, that's the point. They got each other into this mess."

Sara laughed at herself. Obviously, she had never been a parent. "I guess that's true.

"Now where were we?" Nick asked in a low, husky voice. He dipped his head and captured her lips in his again. They were enjoying their alone time and planned to take advantage of it. Sara felt Nick begin to walk her backwards, and soon she felt the cool door of the refrigerator at her back. Nick had one hand on her hip, tracing circles on the small patch of exposed skin, while the other rested on the fridge just by her head, effectively trapping her. They were so into the kiss that they didn't hear Mally come down the stairs again.

"Get a room!" She told them as she walked past them to get a snack from the cabinet. The couple immediately broke the kiss, embarrassed and a little annoyed.

"Mally, what are you doing out of your room again?" Nick demanded, backing away from Sara, as she adjusted her clothing and hair.

"I was hungry." She said innocently as she retrieved a granola bar and hopped up on the counter. "Are you trying to run a prison here, dad?"

"If I were you, I'd be watching my mouth." He told her sternly, leaning back on the kitchen island. Yesterday, Nick thought they made some progress and that Mally understood what she did was wrong and even bonded with Sara. But today was a different story. Many of her answers had been smart and his patience was wearing thin with her.

Mally took a bite from her granola bar and looked at her dad curiously. It was gross, but kind of funny to walk in on her dad making out with someone. She wasn't stupid – she was fourteen years old. They lived together and she knew what they were doing. So much for setting a good example.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Grandma." Nick lied.

Mally watched him curiously once more while she chewed. "Yeah, right! It was Natalie, wasn't it?" Her tone argumentative.

"Did you have a bowl of attitude for breakfast this morning or something?" Nick asked, half joking, half serious as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Even if it was, you're not allowed on the phone."

Mally decided to change the subject.

"Dad, I need more clothes for school."

"No, you don't."

"Dad, I'm a growing girl. Do I need to remind you that my body is changing and every once in a while…"

"Mally! That's enough! I've about had it with your attitude today!"

Sara finally decided to jump in.

"Nick," She tried to calm him by placing a hand on his upper chest. "Listen, why don't I go take Mally shopping for a while. Get her out of the house. She'll be with me the whole time."

Mally looked at Sara like she was her hero. Rock on, Sara, she thought to herself.

Nick pondered the idea for a moment. It would be good to get the girl out of the house for a while – she was driving him up the wall. Plus, it would give the two women time to talk, something he'd been trying to get Mally to do.

"Alright." He gave in. Mally squealed and ran over to give her father a hug. "But you stay with Sara the entire time and I'm giving you a budget." Nick decided wisely.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She told her dad excitedly. She then turned to Sara and gave her a tight hug. "Sara, you're the best!" With that, the teenager ran up the stairs to get ready.

After she'd left, Nick turned back to Sara.

"Do you have some screws loose in your head or something?" He asked her, smiling. "You do realize you're taking a fourteen year old girl to the mall. She'll want to take you into all the teeny stores! I'm talking Claire's, Hollister, Abercrombie. Are you sure you want to do this?" Most of the time, Nick chose to send Mally off with friends at the mall. He couldn't stand to go into the stores Mally wanted to go in. Hollister was like a damn cave it was so dark and he could never hear the sound of his own voice. And Claire's – he didn't even want to get started on that bright pink hell.

"Nick, it'll be fine." Sara reassured him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Besides, it'll give us time to bond. Shopping does wonders for that."

"You really have lost your marbles." He teased her, leaning in for a kiss. Sara giggled into it and moved her hands towards his butt.

"You'll have to help me find them later." She said enticingly, raising her eyebrows and giving him a swat.

"I look forward to it." He reached for his back pocket. "But seriously, she does need a budget, or….yeah. Scary stuff."

Nick handed her a wad of cash and also gave her a few more friendly reminders at what clothes he considered appropriate for Mally to wear. Ten minutes later, Sara and an overly giddy Mally were in the Denali heading to the Las Vegas Mall. Nick sighed a breath of relief when he heard the door close.

Natalie Grissom was staring at her ceiling once again in her bedroom. She hadn't come out all afternoon, trying to avoid her older sister. Her two-faced personality really got on her nerves and she just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Another knock on the door.

"Come in."

Catherine walked into the room with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Hey." She greeted her daughter.

"Hey." Natalie glanced over at her and then stared back up at the ceiling. Catherine joined her daughter on the bed, stealing a pillow and hugging it to her chest.

"Natalie, I know you're not thrilled about your sister being home…"

"No, I'm not. I can't stand her mom."

The comment made Catherine's heart fall a little. It really broke her heart that they didn't get along.

"Sweetheart, I would really mean a lot to your dad and I if you would just try to…"

"Save it, mom." Natalie cut her off, shooting her a look. "We just don't get along and I don't think we ever will. Would you rather have us down each other's throats or have a peaceful house with me up here?"

Catherine sighed and put her hand on Natalie's knee in support.

"I really wish you would just try, Natalie. I hate to see you up here all by yourself. Come be with the family."

Natalie looked at her mom. She really hated that this upset her mom so much, but she really couldn't stand Lindsey, no matter how much her mom and dad wanted them to get along. It was no use.

"No thanks." She whispered simply. Catherine's shoulders slumped a little bit, disappointed, but she decided not to push it any farther. They just needed a little time. The teen years were rough, especially with an older sister.

"Alright, suit yourself." Catherine got up and threw the pillow back onto her daughter's bed. "Dinner will be ready soon." She exited the room coldly, disappointed that Natalie wouldn't even give it a try.

After her mother had left, Natalie felt a tear trickle down her face. She quickly wiped it away, unsure of why she was crying. If Lindsey didn't care, why should she? Natalie loved her family. She really did. But was love and family always supposed to feel this bad? Natalie pondered this thought and cried a little more, slowly falling to sleep.

Sorry it ended on a depressing note – more happiness later!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! Don't forget to check out 'Single Daddy', the companion piece to this. : ) Sorry for the shameless self-promotion. Please review!

Sara Sidle waited patiently outside the dressing room of Abercrombie and Fitch. Sara had never been the "popular" type that would wear these sort of clothes, and she felt a little out of place surrounded by all the beautiful young shoppers in the store. She examined some of the posters on the wall of food-deprived waifs looking sad and ravenous and realized she didn't care much for the images. But Mally was really into the clothes and she filled them out well as she emerged from the dressing room with a smile on her face.

"What do you think?" She was dressed in a pair of dark blue denim capris and a cute low-cut purple tank top, her hair swept up in a messy bun. Sara thought she looked beautiful, but knew if Nick was here, he'd veto the tank top.

"It looks great, Mal, but your dad said nothing too low, and that tank top doesn't leave much to the imagination." Sara admitted.

Mally smiled and threw her head back in frustration.

"But Sara, it's SO CUTE!" She begged.

"Mally, I don't have a problem with it, but you know your dad would have a fit and I doubt you want to be testing him right now."

Mally had a beautiful body, but Nick was a stickler about showing modesty at least until she got to college. He knew that she was already starting to turn heads with the boys, and he needed to keep her on a leash. Nick had raised her well, though, and he knew she'd never go about flaunting herself. It was the rest of the world he was worried about – that same world that had been so unfair to her so far.

"Can't we just buy it and then we can return it if he says no?" Mally suggested, her eyes pleading with Sara.

Sara thought for a few moments.

"Mally, he gave you $100 to spend. If you buy this and he says no, he probably won't let you spend the rest of it."

Mally gave a huge sigh and rolled her eyes, walking back into the dressing room. Sara knew she wasn't rolling her eyes at her, but at her dad. She ended up buying the capris and a more modest polo shirt.

"How about a break?" Sara suggested as they exited the teenage flesh-fest of a store.

"Sounds good." Mally agreed, but she also knew Sara was going to try to talk to her about 'important stuff'. The two women stopped at an ice cream store in the mall and then found a booth to sit at.

"Dad always takes me out for ice cream after dance recitals." She told Sara as they sat down. "Kind of a ritual. He would always let me wear my ballet slippers to the parlor too. He wouldn't let me any other time because he said it wore out the soles. But I would always sneak them on in the house when he wasn't home and pretend I was a real life ballerina." The young girl rattled off.

"And why did you give up ballet?" Sara asked, knowing she hadn't taken lessons since she was ten or so. She'd instead taken up jazz lessons. Her current instructor, though, was a college dance major and Nick hadn't been too happy at some of the dance moves that had been showing up in her routines. He'd told Sara multiple times that he wished Mally would go back to ballet.

"I don't know." She poked at her ice cream with her spoon, smiling.

Sara took a dare, remembering something Nick had told her a while ago. "Was it because of your mom?"

Mally's eyes shot up to look at Sara questioningly.

"What makes you think that?" She asked defensively.

"Well, your dad told me she was a ballet dancer. Did you always know that?"

Mally stabbed a little more at her snack. Her mother was a sensitive subject that she didn't talk with many people about. She really only talked about her with her dad, Catherine, and Natalie.

"You're right." Mally admitted, offering a half-smile. "I found out when I was ten she used to be a ballet dancer, and then I wanted nothing to do with it. I don't ever want to be anything like her." Mally shocked herself at how blatantly honest she was being with Sara. Wait, she was supposed to hate her.

"Have you ever met your mother?"

"No."

"Do you want to?"

"No. I mean, I don't know. I haven't decided."

There was silence for a few moments.

"My mother's been in prison most of my life." Sara admitted to the young girl. She was surprising herself also at how easy it was to open up to the female sitting across from her.

"How come?"

"She, uh….she murdered my father."

Mally's eyebrows shot up and her mouth gaped at the shocking news. Whenever stuff like that happened, kids tended to be really screwed up, but Sara had seemed relatively normal up to this point. How was this possible, she wondered. She decided it wouldn't be polite to push Sara into telling her more, but Mally really wanted to know the details. Not to gossip, but to understand Sara better. What the hell had gotten into her again?

Sara could tell she wanted to know more, but Nick had taught her well, not to push things that weren't her business.

"My dad was abusive and one night he came home drunk and started beating my mother." Sara said slowly. Mally noticed it was almost like she was in a trance, reliving that night that happened so long ago. "She finally had enough and she…stabbed him. I tried to stop her, but I…I was only nine."

"I'm so sorry, Sara." Mally said genuinely. She really admired how well Sara was doing coming from such a hard background. She must have amazing resilience and determination. Mally also realized her father probably knew all about this and about how much she had overcome. It must have been hurting him so much to see her be so cold and disrespectful towards such an amazing person. Mally really felt like an ass.

"Well, my point is," She began again, "Is that I made the mistake of basically shutting my mother out of my life. I was so angry with her for such a long time. We reconciled a while ago and I go visit her sometimes in jail, but there was a lot of time lost. I know you haven't really had a choice so far, but I just want you to know that if you want to find her….well…there are ways to get in touch with her."

Mally had really never considered looking for her mother. She hadn't heard from her since she left when Mally was two. Not one phone call, one letter, one card, to her knowledge. Caroline seemed to want nothing to do with her or her father. But now she wondered if Caroline was too afraid to make contact. And what kind of person was she, really?

"Thanks, Sara. I'll think about it." Mally said seriously. It was all a lot to digest and she would have to think about it a lot.

"No problem." Sara cleared her throat. "Now about that talk we were gonna have about Jordan…"

Mally giggled. "I was wondering if you were going to remember."

"Oh, I didn't forget!" Sara smiled back. "Mally, you are not going to believe this, but for a long time I had the hugest crush on the one and only Gil Grissom."

Mally nearly choked on her ice cream and had to cough a little bit to get it down.

"Uncle Gil!" She shrieked incredulously.

Sara nodded and smiled in amusement of herself.

"Yep. I had it bad, Mal. I just thought he was the coolest entomologist ever."

"You thought Uncle Gil was cool? Are you serious?"

"Stupid, I know." Sara admitted. "I don't know what I was thinking. But, you see, for years while I was crushing on your Uncle Gil, I missed what was right in front of me…your dad."

"You worked together for years before you started dating, didn't you?"

"Four." She cleared up.

"Your dad is the most patient, caring, loving people I have ever met. He knew he loved me for years but knew I liked Grissom, so he never made a move. Didn't want to butt in where he wasn't wanted. It took me a while, but I finally saw how much he really cared for me and how much I really cared for him back. And luckily, he was still there before it was too late and before I missed out on another good thing in my life."

"Wow." Was all Mally could say. Mally was a sucker for romance and whoever knew her dad was the king of it? How sweet! She'd have to tell her dad how great he was later.

"Now, I know you have this huge crush on Jordan, but is he treating you right?" Sara finished off the last of her ice cream and leaned back in the booth, looking at Mally.

Mally saw where this was headed. She knew Jordan didn't treat her right – he'd left her to fend for herself when the cops busted that party. But something in her warped teenage mind still made her want him. He was still so cute, and he just probably wasn't thinking straight. Maybe it was her fault and she was just being dumb. Mally sighed.

"I know he's not been great, but I still really like him, you know?"

Sara nodded knowingly. "Oh yeah. Do you know how many times I threw my feelings out there at Grissom? I was always giving, giving, giving, and he never gave me anything back. He just didn't want to take the risk with me, but for some reason I was okay with the way he was treating me."

Okay, Mally really thought her Uncle Gil was an ass right now.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to bash your Uncle. I mean, obviously he was in love with Catherine all along. And it's all good now. He's got Catherine and I have your dad. And I couldn't be happier." Sara seemed to be glowing, and for the first time Mally could see that Sara really did love her dad and she was okay with it. And Sara loved her.

Natalie was sprawled out on the living room couch that Sunday evening, bored out of her mind and watching TV. Her parents were already at work for the night, and unfortunately, Lindsey had just joined her. Natalie stared straight ahead at the TV, not wanting to have any sort of conversation with Lindsey. After a few minutes of silence, Lindsey finally had to open her big fat mouth.

"Do we have to watch this?" She complained, commenting on the old "Full House" rerun.

"I was here first, so yes." Natalie tried to remain calm. "You have your own TV in your bedroom. Go watch something there."

"Natalie, I am not home very often. I don't want to be locked in my room. And I'm older, I think that trumps your elementary corny-ass show."

"Why are you being such a bitch!" Natalie finally sat up and glared at her older sister. She hated that perfectly blonde hair that all the guys seemed to go for. But Natalie had darker hair like Gil's – another reminder that she was his only real daughter.

"Ugh! Natalie, you're so immature, I can't stand it! Any normal person would not be watching 'Full House' of all shows on a Sunday night!" A/N: Full House rocks by the way, despite its overwhelming corniness

"Well, dad still watches it with me!"

"And, what? You think he likes it? He just has to put up with all your childish crap." Though most teenage girls wouldn't want to admit they still liked spending time with their dads, Natalie wasn't. She still thought her dad was some type of Superman who could fix anything, even if he did hate him a little sometimes. The comment stabbed Natalie in the heart.

"At least he wants to spend time with me. He couldn't wait until you were out of the house since you were so damn selfish!"

Natalie's comment hurt Lindsey just as equally. She was always so angry growing up without Eddie, her real father. She was angry until Gil came along. He was like a savior in her life, though she didn't act like it in high school. The anger came back then, and she took it all out on her parents with Gil in the hotseat. Lindsey was ashamed of the way she'd treated her step dad, and any reminder of that set her off.

With both girls' feelings hurt, emotions were stirring in the room and it was finally too much. Natalie threw the remote at her sister in anger and started to storm out of the room. Lindsey ran after her sister, grabbing her by that dark hair that reminded her once more she was Gil's real daughter. She spun her around and threw her on the ground, hitting and pulling at her hair.

"I hate you!" She screamed. "I HATE YOU! I wish you were never born!"

Natalie didn't say anything but fought back the best she could, tears streaming down her face. For the next few minutes, the two Grissom girls were a ball of hitting, screaming, crying emotion on the living room floor with no one to stop them.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! Please enjoy and tell me what you think!

"Daddy?"

Gil Grissom's heart dropped at the sound of his youngest daughter's defeated voice, accompanied by some sniffling.

"Natalie? What's wrong?" She had her father worried.

"Daddy, I'm sorry!" She sobbed, her voice raspy from emotion.

"About what, Nat? What's going on?"

"L…Lindsey's and I got into a fight. And, I…" She didn't want to say it. "I need you to come home."

"What happened, Natalie? What's going on?"

Natalie just cried some more and Gil was really starting to get worked up. He needed to calm her down.

"Natalie, are you sitting down?"

"N…no."

"Where are you?"

"In the living room."

"Go sit down on the couch." He told her. "Can you do that for me?"

"Okay." She said, sounding like she was five years old.

"Now lie down for me."

"I don't want to get blood on the couch."

Gil's heart dropped again. What the hell was going on?

"You're bleeding?" He almost shrieked. Gil got up and grabbed his keys from the desk and headed towards the parking lot.

"Things got out of hand." She understated, and Gil could tell she was starting to hyperventilate.

"I need you to take deep breaths, sweetheart. Will you do that?" Gil tried his best to stay calm. Gil listened to his daughter struggle with her breathing for the next minute or so. He found his car and put the keys into the ignition, pulling out abruptly, almost hitting a car that was pulling in.

"Now, sweetheart, I need you to tell me what went on." He calmly told his daughter, not wanting to upset her anymore.

Natalie took a few more breaths before continuing.

"We got into a fight and we started hitting and kicking each other, and…my nails. I think I cut her pretty bad, daddy."

Gil allowed himself a little sigh of relief. For a second there, he thought Natalie might have done something really stupid. Things were still far from okay, though, from what he could tell.

"Is she bleeding?"

"Sh…She's in the bathroom with a washcloth…applying pressure."

"Where's she cut?"

"On her forehead."

"And you're bleeding too? Where?"

"On my head. She pulled out some of my hair."

Gil's mouth gaped open and he ran a hand through his hair. Jeez, they must have really gotten into it. He knew they didn't get along that well, but they'd never gotten into a physical fight before. There'd been a few pushes and kicks growing up, but not an actual fight. He let out a huge, concerned sigh as he sped down the road.

"Okay. You need to get a cloth too, sweetheart, and apply pressure until I get there and see how bad it is."

"Okay." She managed, still crying from the shock of it all.

"Sweetheart, I'm on my way home. I'll be there in a few minutes, okay? Just sit tight."

"Alright, daddy."

"Bye." Gil hung up the phone and drove a little faster.

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_Whatcha gonna do with all that junk?_

_All that junk inside your trunk?_

_"I'ma get get get get you drunk_

_Get you love drunk off my humps_

Sara and Mally were singing and dancing around in Mally's bedroom to the raunchy Black Eyed Peas song as they modeled some of their new purchases of the day. The pair had had a great time shopping for the day and were excited to try some of their new clothes on again. Hearing all the ruckus, Nick opened the door to the room to see his two favorite girls dancing ridiculously to about the worst song he'd heard in a long time.

Eyebrows raised and arms crossed, he watched in amusement as they demonstrated some of the most insanely outrageous dance moves he'd ever seen. Sara spotted him and shimmied her way over to her boyfriend, overemphasizing her outlandish moves, causing him to shake his head and laugh out loud.

_Whatcha gonna do with all that ass?_

_All that ass inside them jeans?_

Sara rubbed her butt up against his jeans, raising her hands above her head. Nick gently kneed her in the butt and then pushed her away, back to where Mally was shakin' it also.

"Ya'll need therapy." He told them as they continued, jiving with each other. It was a good thing Nick had a sense of humor, the way Mally was moving. It was all in good fun. The song finally ended and switched to Usher's "Yeah."

"Daddy, close your eyes and I'll show you my other shirt I got." Mally told her father. He shut his eyes tight, but that wasn't enough. "Put your hand up!" She ordered him.

Nick slapped his hand over his eyes and played along. He was surprised she hadn't asked Sara to cover her eyes also, but he guessed it was a good sign that she was feeling comfortable around his girlfriend. Mally pulled off her top, now in only her bra and went to her other shopping bag while Sara went over to Nick, taking hold of his unused arm, trying to get him to move.

"I don't do rap." Nick told her, smiling. He was an all-around country guy, but he knew the words to dozens of pop songs, thanks to Mally. Her music was about the only thing Nick hadn't grounded her from, but right now he wished he had.

Mally pulled her other shirt over her head and smiled at the sight of Sara trying to coax her dad to dance. Mally had seen him dance before, but he was pretty shy about it.

"Alright, open!" She announced, and held her arms out to the side in display. Nick opened his eyes and saw she was wearing a graphic shirt. He squinted his eyes to see what it read.

"Be careful, I had a bowl of attitude for breakfast this morning." Nick grinned, showing his laugh lines. "Ain't that the truth." He commented, chuckling. "I like it, sweetheart."

Mally then joined Sara and took her father's other arm.

"Come on, dad, shake it!" She urged him, pulling on his arm and leading him to the middle of her bedroom floor.

"Ah, no!" Nick protested, but he was grinning from ear to ear. Just then, his cell phone rang. "Saved by the bell!" He exclaimed. "I've gotta take this."

Nick stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door, checking the caller ID as he went. It was Grissom. He hoped he wasn't being called in – both he and Sara had the night off together.

"Grissom, what's up?"

"Hi, Nick. I'm sorry to bother you on your night off, but I just got a call from Natalie." He explained. Gil was still in his car, heading back home after Natalie's tearful phone call. "She was really upset, and apparently she and Lindsey got into a fight."

"A real one?" Nick asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Apparently, there's blood. I'm heading over there now."

Nick was taken aback, as Gil still was. This wasn't like either girls to get into a physical fight. It must have been something really important, but that still didn't excuse it of course.

"I hate to do this, but could you or Sara cover for me at work for a while so I can figure this out?"

Nick didn't think twice about agreeing to it. He knew Gil would do the same for him if Mally was in trouble.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be right in. Let me know if you need anything."

"Alright, thanks Nick. I owe you."

Nick opened Mally's door again and peered in.

"That was Grissom. I have to go into work."

Nick watched both girls' faces fall at the news. They'd been having so much fun, but this was a bummer. Mally always knew that he could get called to work any time, but it was always a big disappointment. He had an important job and demanding hours. By the look on Nick's face, they could both tell it was something serious.

"Sar, can I talk to you for a minute?" He requested.

"Sure." She said, and followed him out. Nick closed the door behind them and lead her into the bedroom because he knew Mally would listen in if they stayed in the hallway. When the door was closed, he turned back to his girlfriend.

"That was Gil, and apparently, Nat and Lindsey got into a catfight or something. He sounded pretty shaken up."

"A catfight?" He face contorted in confusion.

"He was on his way over, but he asked me to cover for him at work for a while."

"Sure, sure. Go ahead." She urged him. "Mally and I will be fine."

"Thanks, baby. And listen, I know Mally's grounded, but if Gil calls and asks for her, she can go over. This is definitely an exception."

"Okay." Sara nodded.

"Thank you." He told Sara, and leaned in for a chaste kiss. "I'll see you soon."

Sara sighed and rubbed her stomach a little bit, then when back to be with Mally. Nick was just telling her goodbye also. By the look on Mally's face, Sara could tell that Nick had told her about Natalie and Lindsey. She was concerned about her friend, and Sara doubt she'd last the night without going to pay Nat a visit. Nick gave her a loving kiss to the forehead and then headed down the stairs.

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Gil Grissom arrived at his Las Vegas home in record time, quickly parking his Denali in the driveway and bolting up the front steps.

"Natalie?" He yelled. "Lindsey?" He frantically started looking around for them. All of a sudden, both girls were running towards him, rattling off their own versions of what had happened. Lindsey had a pretty bad gash to her forehead and Natalie's head still looked a little bloody in spots. Both had tears streaming down their cheeks as they tried to explain what happened. If they were good enough to be arguing again, Gil figured they were in good condition. Seeing that both were safe and relatively unarmed, he quickly put an end to the squabbling.

"That's enough!" He yelled over them, startling both girls. Gil took Lindsey's head in his hands, gently tilting it to get a better look at her cut. It wasn't too deep, but it looked like it hurt pretty damn good. He sighed loudly.

"Both of you go to your rooms right now and I'll be up to deal with you in a minute." He told them, his voice firm.

"But dad…" Natalie started.

"I don't want to hear it right now, Nat. I need you both in separate rooms. Now go!" He pointed to the stairs. Gil had been surrounded by females for about fourteen years now, so he'd gotten pretty good a neutralizing catty situations. He watched as both girls climbed the stairs to their rooms. Sighing again, he went to the medicine cabinet and retrieved some germ-killing lotion for their cuts. This was going to be a long night, he thought to himself.

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"God, this sucks!" Mally vented, as she collapsed onto her bed. The music was now off, the mood long since killed. "My best friend just got her ass kicked by our worst enemy, and now dad has to go into work! This blows!"

Sara was sitting next to her on the bed, leaning back on one arm.

"I know, Mal. Hopefully, he won't be long. But I know you're worried about Natalie."

"Can't we just go over there now?" She looked up at Sara hopefully.

"No. Your dad said only if Gil called and asked for you. We need to stay out unless they ask for help."

Mally closed her eyes and rubbed them with the heels of her hands in frustration, letting out a groan. Sara took a deep breath, debating whether or not she should say what she was about to say.

"Hey, Mal, I have something I want to tell you that I think will put you in a good mood."

Mally immediately sat up and looked at Sara with wide eyes. She could tell it was the good kind of news. Mally desperately needed some good news after such a horrible weekend, for the most part.

"What is it?" She asked hopefully.

Sara smiled at her eagerness and decided now was the right time.

"Well, Mally…"

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Gil Grissom climbed the stairs of his home with the cream in his hand along with a couple of towels. Lindsey seemed to be in the most need from what he could tell, so he first entered her bedroom, knocking first. Her room was still decorated like it had been in high school. The walls were painted a dark purple and the walls were covered with posters of bands he didn't approve of – Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, Limp Bizkit. He found Lindsey sitting on her bed cross-legged, looking up at him with mixed emotions. On one hand, she was glad to see him, but suspected he was angry with her too.

"Hi, daddy."

"Hey." Gil pulled out her desk chair and rolled himself until he was right next to her bed. "Scoot this way."

Lindsey unfolded her legs and draped them over the side of her bed right where her dad had stopped. Gil gently touched her forehead right next to where her big cut was. It had long since stopped bleeding, but it was still looking pretty ugly. Other parts of her face had some small nicks as well as the rest of her body. Some bruises were starting to form. They really beat the hell out of each other.

"Daddy, you're not gonna put that on, are you?" She begged, referring to the lotion he had in his hand. God, that stuff stung. Gil mentally noted that she'd called him daddy, something she normally only called him when she wanted something or she'd done something wrong. He knew that she wasn't the victim in this confrontation. If he knew his daughters like he thought, he'd bet anything she'd provoked her sister.

"We don't want it to get infected, Lindsey. I'm just being safe." He took back his hand and then started to unscrew the cap to the lotion.

"But it stings!" She complained.

"An infected wound is worse." Gil assured her. Lindsey knew she was going to lose the battle, so she reluctantly sighed.

"Okay." She looked up at the ceiling, waiting for him to proceed.

Gil gently applied the lotion to her wound, Lindsey taking in a sharp breath as he did so.

"Sorry." He apologized for the pain. When he was finished, Lindsey scooted back on the bed again. Gil tossed the lotion onto her bedside table, clearing his throat.

"Alright, now I need to know what in the hell went on here tonight." He turned serious, putting his hands on his knees, waiting patiently for an answer. Lindsey looked down, and from his years as her father, knew she didn't want to tell him something.

"I want the truth, Lindsey. All of it."

Lindsey sighed before beginning her explanation. For the most part, her explanation was pretty close to what happened, though she tried to emphasize the things Natalie had done wrong and made sure Gil knew just how much her cut hurt. Though Lindsey was in college now, she still knew he was the boss under his roof. It still hurt if he was disappointed in her.

"Alright. Thank you for telling me your side." He told his daughter when she was finished. "Now do you want to know what I think?"

Lindsey nodded, a little afraid about what he was going to say.

"I think you provoked her. Am I right?"

Lindsey looked away.

"Am I right?" He repeated himself. "Linds, I know you two don't get along and that you're in college right now, but when you're under my roof, I expect you to treat your younger sister with respect. She's your family. I don't care if technically she's your half-sister, you have been there her whole life."

Gil could tell Lindsey was about to burst, fuming with anger, and if he wasn't mistaken, disappointment in herself. He got up to leave and then turned back to face her again.

"And I know your mother would say the same thing." He told her, in case she was going to go back to the 'you're not my real father' spiel. "If you're going to stay here until your classes tomorrow, I expect you to stay in your room."

"What?" She asked, shocked that he was actually trying to punish her at the age of nineteen.

"You can stay in your room the rest of the night." He repeated.

"Screw that!" She told him, getting up from her bed. "I am nineteen years old and I'm in college. I don't have to put up with being grounded to my room!"

"If you don't like it, then go back to college. If you're staying here, that's final. It's your decision."

Gil opened the door to leave and saw that Lindsey was starting to pack her things. He hated to see her go, but he wasn't going to put up with her behavior. His heart broke a little as he heard Lindsey start to throw her things into the bag.

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"Are you serious?" Mally bubbled at the happy news, her whole face lighting up. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Can I please please please call Natalie and tell her? Please, Sara?" She begged, holding her hand and shaking it a little.

Sara looked away, smiling. There was no way she could deny her that.

"Okay, Mally, but this is the only phone call you're making, or your dad will kill us both."

"Just one call. I promise!" Natalie darted downstairs to the telephone, since hers had been removed from her room. Sara smiled to herself as she heard Natalie dancing around a little bit. She wouldn't be able to keep the good news silent for long, herself. Sara knew exactly what Mally was thinking right now. She wanted to shout it out to the world, just like Mally. She was pregnant. Pregnant with Nick Stokes' child.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I've been oozing inspiration lately…posting like crazy! I hope you don't mind. Thanks so much for the great reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying. Please let me know what you think: )

Natalie sat nervously on her bed in her room, waiting for her dad to come in. She'd heard her older sister raise her voice and storm down the stairs again. Natalie didn't know if that was good news or not. Did her dad kick her out? What did Lindsey say about what happened and what did her father think? She was already grounded, so Natalie figured her dad was really disappointed and would be unforgiving this time. She examined her fingernails as she sat pretzel style, waiting silently.

Minutes later, after he'd regrouped, Gil knocked on his youngest daughter's room and she replied politely to come in. The girls' rooms were like night and day, literally, and it mirrored their attitudes. Natalie's room was painted a pale yellow, decorated with more "girly" things – pop bands, flowers, and pictures of hunky teenage boys cut out of magazines. His youngest had always been so much more easy-going than her sister, but when you got her worked up, she was a fighter, as in this case. Gil felt Natalie staring up at him hopefully as he took a seat next to her on the bed.

Natalie had always felt like the rest of her family was out to get her. Lindsey's behavior was abysmal all through high school, as an understatement. She was always punished for it, but her parents seemed too forgiving. All of Lindsey's screw-ups had caused Catherine and Gil to tighten down unnecessarily on Natalie. She could handle pressure, but she found that her parents were suffocating her with all their expectations. What they'd screwed up with Lindsey, they weren't going to screw up with her, so they'd turned even stricter on her in high school. Even minor slip-ups weren't left unnoticed, and her report card grades were expected to be all A's and B's. Natalie wanted to please her parents, but she found it very trying and overwhelming to do so. What she didn't know was that she exceeded her parents' expectations beyond words. They were so proud of her and wanted her to succeed so much. Gil and Catherine loved Lindsey, but they weren't happy with the way she treated others sometimes, especially her sister.

Gil sighed out as he sat down next to his daughter. He could tell she was nervous, but also that she was genuinely sorry for what had happened. After all, it was her that called him when things took a turn for the worst. The way she sounded on the phone, he thought the world had ended. Natalie felt so guilty about how she'd hurt Lindsey. Lindsey told him she was sorry too, but her apology was not very heartfelt. Gil was so happy with the way Natalie was turning out – she showed integrity, trust (except for her recent slip-up), and care towards others.

"I just got done talking to Lindsey." He started. "I just want to know how it started."

Natalie swallowed a little bit, not knowing if her dad was trying to test her. He often tried to challenge her thinking, trying to get her to fight for her answers and reasons and convince him.

"Well, we were watching TV and she said she didn't want to watch 'Full House'. I told her I was there first, which I was, and then she started talking about how she wasn't home much and shouldn't have to go to her room to watch what she wanted. And we started arguing…" She stopped.

"What did she say?"

"She said you didn't like to spend time with me. And I said you guys were happy when she moved out." Natalie choked out, on the verge of tears. She was ashamed of what she'd said. They didn't get along, but that was a low blow. "Then we started fighting."

Gil could see how the emotions of the evening easily caused the girls to snap at each other. It had been a tough weekend, with Natalie sneaking out. None of them had been in a very receptive and upbeat mood when Lindsey arrived. The emotions were in high-gear and it took comments like that to push the girls over the edge.

"Okay. I know you girls don't get along very well, and you both said some pretty nasty things from what I understand. Now what's this really about?"

Natalie looked at Gil, puzzled. What else was there to know?

"I don't…I don't understand."

"You weren't fighting about the TV. It was something else. Something deeper."

"I don't know, dad."

"I think you do."

Natalie sighed, not sure what he was wanting from her. She decided to speak the truth and speak from the heart, hoping he would understand.

"She was…an ass, dad, in high school. Treated you and mom like crap. Especially you, and you just stood back and took it. Now she comes back, and she's like the best thing that ever happened to you."

"She is, along with you, Nat." Gil told her. "She's my daughter, and even if I'm not totally happy with the way she's been behaving, I still love her without question."

"Yeah, but the thing is, she's not your real daughter, dad. And every time she doesn't like what you say or how you treat her, she kicks you down in the dirt. It's like she loves you conditionally or something."

"I know it's complicated, sweetheart. I can see how you feel she's being treated unfairly as well as yourself. But things aren't always cut and dry. You love her deep down, but there's a lot of emotions and feelings that go along with it and some of them are bad." Gil shrugged, trying to get her to see that their family drama wasn't all that atypical. All families were complicated, no matter if they were nuclear, blended, or stepfamilies.

"Now, I told Lindsey she had to stay in her room the rest of the night or go back to school, and you could probably hear she chose to leave. And the same goes for you. You need to stay in here the rest of the night." Gil looked at his daughter. "You okay?" She still looked a little glum.

"Yeah, dad. I'm fine."

"It's almost time for bed anyway, so why don't you put on your pj's and get an early night." He suggested. Natalie just nodded, looking straight ahead. Gil kissed her head and got up. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

Minutes later, the telephone rang in the Grissom household and Gil answered.

"Grissom." He was used to answering this way at work.

"Uncle Gil!" An excited teenage girl's voice sounded on the other end. He immediately recognized it as Mally Stokes.

"Mally? Are you supposed to be on the phone?"

"I got special permission. I really need to talk to Natalie. I have really good news!"

"I'm sorry, Mal, she can't come to the phone."

"Please, Uncle Gil, just this once! I promise it's really important, and the good kind."

"Will you tell me first?"

"I don't know if you're supposed to know."

"Excuse me?"

"Hold on." Mally put her hand over the phone and asked Sara if it was okay to tell Uncle Gil. "Okay, I guess I can. Guess what?"

Gil smiled at her antics. He could tell she was really excited about something.

"Mal…"

"Sara's pregnant! She's PREGNANT! Can you believe it?"

Gil about dropped the phone. That was the last thing he was expecting to hear. A baby? He didn't even know Nick and Sara were trying.

"What?" He stammered.

"She's got a bun in the oven! She's preggers! The stork's headed this way! You know, when a man and a woman really love each other…"

"Alright, Mal, I get the point. I know how it works. It's just…wow! That's great news, Mally. Tell Sara I say congratulations."

Mally turned to Sara. "Uncle Gil says congratulations."

"So can I tell Natalie? Please?" She turned her attention back to her uncle. Seeing as it was really good, and rare news, he decided to allow it.

"Okay. Let me get her."

The next ten minutes was a pandemonium of happy squealing and jumping on both ends. An outsider would have thought Mally was the mother, the way she was discussing baby names and where its room would be, and what clothes she'd pick for it to wear. Gil finally decided to cut the conversation off after twenty minutes. So much for Natalie's early night – now she was all gleeful and hyper.

Gil decided to call Catherine to give her an update on the girls. He'd just told her briefly what was happening on his way home after Natalie called. Knowing it all would upset her, Gil dreaded the call.

"Gil, how are they doing? Are they okay?" Catherine answered the phone questioning after she'd seen her husband on the caller ID.

"Cath, they're both fine. They were both a little shaken up, but they're all taken care of. You have nothing to worry about."

Catherine let out the biggest sigh of relief as she stood outside a crime scene at a hotel. She wanted desperately to go home and see her girls, but really couldn't leave the crime scene. Catherine knew her husband would take care of it, but it didn't stop her maternal instincts from showing its head. She started to get emotional, but was relieved her girls were okay. It was breaking Gil's heart.

"Sweetheart, it's okay. They're both fine."

"I know, it's just…" She paused and put her hand to her forehead, "I just hate that they don't get along. That they can't treat each other civilly."

"Yeah, me too. But I think it's just a teenage girl thing, honey. Give it a few years and maybe they'll be best buds."

Catherine chuckled a little at the thought of her two offspring actually in a friendly relationship. Gil recognized her humor.

"Okay, well maybe not BEST friends, but maybe they won't act like hyenas." He allowed himself a small smile. The girls had been pretty close when they were younger, but somewhere along the line, things turned sour. Gil didn't see any reason why this wasn't just a phase in their relationship. "How's work going?"

Catherine glanced back in the crime scene, seeing Nick collecting some hair and fiber evidence from the bed.

"As good as can be expected. Nick's collecting and then we're going back to the lab to analyze everything."

"Speaking of Nick, I have some very good news. Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Sara's expecting."

Catherine gaped like her husband had done earlier.

"They're WHAT!" Nick hadn't mentioned anything to her and she wanted to go strangle him for keeping it a secret. Well, only for a few seconds. After all, he was an expectant father and that just wouldn't be right.

"Mally called earlier with the news. Nat's in a tiffy."

"What about Lindsey?"

"Oh…I forgot to mention that. She decided to go back to school."

"Ohhhhh. I didn't get to say goodbye. Who knows when she'll be back."

"Well, I told her to stay in her room and if she didn't like it to go back to college, and…"

"Figures. Sounds like Lindsey. Anyways, that's wonderful news. I'll have to go smack the hell out of Nick and then congratulate him.

"I'll be back over in a few so Nick can leave. Will you tell him the message?"

"Sure thing. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart."

Catherine Grissom strolled over to Nick at the crime scene and started batting at him multiple times. It didn't really hurt, but Nick said 'ow' anyways.

"Geez, Cath! What the hell?"

"Why didn't you tell me, Nick. Why? You can't keep stuff like this from me!"

"Tell you what?" Nick seemed genuinely puzzled. "What did the girls do now?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Stokes. The secret's out."

"Obviously, I have no idea what you're talking about, Cath. What secret?"

Catherine studied him intently for a moment, her hands on her hips, giving him an unbelievable look. She realized that he really must not know, and she didn't think she should be the one to tell him.

"You need to call Sara. Right now." Catherine pulled out her cell phone and quickly scrolled down in her phone book to find the Stokes' home number.

"What's going on? What don't I know?" Nick stood up and put his hands on his hips, confused at the conversation. Catherine just dialed and handed him the phone when it started ringing. Nick took it and gave Catherine another look, his eyebrows raised. What a nutcase.

"Hello?" Sara's sweet voice answered.

"Sara? Hey, it's me."

"Hey, what's up?" Nick couldn't help but notice her voice seemed a little extra peppy and he could practically feel her glowing over the phone.

"Is there…something…Cath is really freaking me out. She says there's some sort of big news and I should call you."

Sara's brain short-circuited. How the hell? Wait a minute…Mally to Grissom…Grissom to Natalie…Grissom to Cath…Cath to….oh shit!

"Shit, Nick!" She almost yelled.

"What about shit?" He was confused.

"No, no." She laughed. "I'm just surprised…news travels fast."

"What is it, Sar?" Nick's heart was beating fast. He felt in his heart what she was about to tell him, but needed to hear the words. "Are you…"

"I'm pregnant, Nick. Six weeks." She told him and then bit down on her thumbnail in anticipation, not even trying to conceal her smile.

Nick was speechless for a few moments and he turned around in place. Catherine was watching and saw his face change from shock, to confusion, and then to a heart-stopping, Lifetime movie-like prideful, joyful smile. It showed up most TV reactions.

"You…you are?" He was on the verge of tears, he was so happy.

"Yeah." She almost squealed like a little kid.

"Sara, that's….that's wonderful! I don't know what to say…I"

"It's okay, Nick. I'm still processing it myself."

Sara heard him breathing heavily on the other line and it made her fall even more in love with the man on the other end. He was so happy, she could tell. Overcome with emotion.

"That's so perfect." He choked out.

"Are you happy about it?"

"Yes." He almost sobbed. "I'm very, very happy about it."

"Mally wants to talk to you." Sara smiled

"Wait, Sara. I…I love you so much."

A tear fell from Sara's eye and she wiped it away. "I love you too." With that, she handed to phone over to the fourteen year old sitting beside her, who'd been all but jumping up and down next to her the whole time.

"Daddy?"

"Hi, baby. You're gonna be a big sister!"

"I know! Isn't it great, dad? I'm so happy."

Knowing that Mally was okay was this made it that more perfect. Nick and Sara had discussed whether or not they'd like more children and they both knew they did, but didn't know the right time. Nick had been unsure whether Mally would be happy about the prospect of a sibling in her life. She'd been an only child for fourteen years, and this would be a big change for her. Mally was taking it wonderfully and he couldn't tell who was more excited, him, her, or Sara.

"Me too. I'm so glad you're okay with it."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nick was surprised his thoughts had never seemed to pass through Mally's head.

"I don't know. It was just you and me for a long time, and now Sara's in the picture. I didn't know if you'd be happy with a brother or sister."

"Dad!" She thought he was being a total idiot. Who wouldn't love a new baby? "Of course I'm happy for you! Do you think I'm heartless or something?"

Nick chuckled, and he was relieved. "No, sweetheart. I could never think that."

"Good. I'm helping Sara out with baby names and we're going to redecorate the bedroom next to mine."

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down, girl! Do I get any say in this? Are you gonna save anything for me?" He teased.

"Dad, this is girl territory. We know what we're doing, and you'd be wise not to interfere with a pregnant lady and a new big sister."

Nick laughed out loud. Mally was a piece of work and he loved her to death. And to think in about eight months he'd have another bundle of joy to love. How would this one turn out? Nick realized that if it was half him and half Sara, they'd have nothing to worry about.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! A special thanks to September for your review – you really made me think more about Lindsey's pov. I was kind of forgetting how much it must kinda suck for her to have her mom remarry and start a new family. My dad remarried but no half-siblings (thank goodness!), so I haven't really thought about the possibility of all that can of worms. Thanks for reopening the eyes! I hope to include more of that pov in later chapters. Anways…please review! And enjoy!

Nick Stokes couldn't drive home fast enough after Grissom finally pulled back into work. As soon as Nick saw him and knew that Natalie and Lindsey were okay, he bolted for the door, anxious to get home to see Sara. He made it home in record time, parking in the driveway instead of his usual spot in the garage and tore through the front door until he found Sara in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for the next day's stew. She looked beautiful dressed in dark blue jeans and a cream tunic, hair curled and falling at her shoulders. Sara looked up when she heard loud footsteps coming towards her. She smiled when she realized it was her boyfriend, and her child's father.

"Nick!" She beamed. Nick walked right over to her, turning her to him and quickly planting a wet, juicy one on her lips. Sara giggled a little at his enthusiasm. He was obviously very excited and pleased about this news of being a father once again. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her with more passion than either realized he had. Finally, they pulled away, breathless.

"Where's Mal?" He whispered.

"Already in bed." Sara smiled as Nick started backing up, pulling her with him, giving her hot smooches as they went.

"Good. Cuz you are one hot mama." Nick told her, grinning. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom, where they made sweet, tender love, reaffirming that this baby sealed their love for one another.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

The next morning, Mally awoke to hear the unmistakable sounds of her father and Sara giggling downstairs in the kitchen. Oh, God. They probably had sex last night. Mally was glad she'd fallen asleep early. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and pulled a sweatshirt over her sleepwear of Soffe shorts and a tank top. Mally made as much noise as possible as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, letting them know she was coming. They knew she wasn't in to seeing PDA, and they'd gotten pretty good at toning it down in front of her. Finally, she skipped down the stairs and walked into their kitchen, where Nick and Sara were standing next to each other getting bowls ready for breakfast. Her father had an arm around her waist and he gave Sara a kiss on the temple as she entered. For once, Mally didn't think she really minded. It was kind of nice how her father loved Sara so much. Mally wondered if he felt the same way about her mother when he found out she was pregnant. She doubted it.

"Hi daddy. Hi Sara." Mally greeted them as she sat down at the breakfast bar.

"Hey!" They both chimed together, and Nick immediately walked around to the other side.

"There's the big sister." He smiled as he gave her a big hug, kissing her on the head. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good." Mally smiled. She hadn't seen her father this happy in a long time. "Once the excitement finally let me nod off."

"I didn't get that much sleep either." He told her. Mally decided to bite her tongue at a comment and just gave a sweet smile to her dad, who patted her on the back and then went back to Sara.

"What do you want for breakfast, Mal?" Sara asked.

"Uhhh…Lucky Charms please." She was still such a kid. And yeah, she still liked to pick out the marshmallows.

Nick poured the cereal and Sara poured in the milk, and then they all sat down at the bar and ate their breakfast together, like a real family.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Two weeks later, Nick and Sara excitedly and nervously made their way to her OB/GYN. Carolyn hadn't wanted Nick there with her at her sonograms, but he'd insisted anyway. Nick had never felt such pride and emotion as he had when he first saw little Mally on the screen, sucking her thumb. Carolyn was happy too, but in a different way from him. She'd never totally been into the baby thing – it wasn't good for a ballerina.

"Sara Sidle." The nurse called as she opened the door to the clinic.

"That's me!" Sara smiled and then gave a sheepish grin. Nick laughed and followed her in, putting his hand at the small of her back. Nick had been loving before, but Sara adored the way he was being so attentive and sweet, like she was a delicate piece of china that might break. It made her feel so loved. The nurse showed them into a decidedly clean, sterile room, complete with the foot stirrups.

"I'll need you to change into this gown and the doctor will be in shortly." The nurse smiled and left the couple alone. Sara sighed.

"I hate these places." She told him.

"Why?" Nick asked stupidly.

"You've never had your damn ovaries scooped out."

Nick gave a disgusted look.

"They do not scoop out your ovaries."

"That's what it feels like." Sara told him as she unbuttoned her jeans, revealing an endearing pair of white cotton panties.

"You crack me up, Sidle."

Sara finished undressing, Nick admiring the tiny bulge that was forming at her stomach. She was going to be absolutely beautiful while pregnant – not that she wasn't already. She slipped up the gown and asked Nick to help her tie the back.

Minutes later, Sara was sitting nervously on the table, with Nick standing in front of her, his hands soothingly stroking the outside of her thighs and giving her kisses on the forehead and temples.

"It'll be alright." Nick whispered, sensing she was really nervous about this.

"I know. I'm just…really worried that something will go wrong."

"Hey." He tilted her chin up with his finger. "Don't think like that." Nick touched her stomach and rubbed it gently. "There is no reason to worry. I'm sure your uterus is just the prime spot for a baby-to-be." He tried being a little silly. It had its desired effect, causing Sara to laugh. Just then, the doctor walked in.

"Hi there." She smiled at the couple. "Sara Sidle?"

"Yes." Sara held out her hand and the doctor shook it. "Nice to meet you. This is my…partner, Nick Stokes."

"I assume he's the father?" She smiled.

Nick gave her a questioning look in jest, and then waved it off.

"Alright, Sara. I'm going to ask you to lie down on the table. Make yourself comfortable."

Sara gave Nick a weak smile as she started to settle back. Nick took the stool right next to the bed and took her hand in his, stroking the back gently.

"You're fine." He told her seriously, giving her a kiss.

"Nervous?" She asked, as she put on some rubber gloves.

"A little."

"I understand. I'm a new mom myself. Don't worry – nothing invasive today. I'm just going to put some gel on your belly and then run this scanner over your abdomen, and we'll check out your baby."

Nick saw Sara's face relax a little bit at the news.

"Okay. That doesn't sound so bad." She laughed nervously.

"It's really not." She got out a tube of the lubricant. "Okay. I'm going to lift up your gown now and we'll put on this gel."

Nick squeezed her hand again and looked down at her exposed tummy. The doctor gently applied the gel to her stomach and the couple sighed, knowing this was it. They were going to see their baby. _Their_ baby.

"Alright, are you ready?" She smiled.

"On with the show!" Nick joked, trying to relieve the tension.

The doctor gently ran the ultrasound scanner over Sara's belly, watching the monitor carefully as she went. Nick felt Sara's grip tighten almost unbearably on his hand. He hated to think what it would actually be like during labor. Sheesh! The three adults' eyes were all glued to the monitor, watching for anything. The quiet whoosh whoosh sound from the machine seemed to be the only sounds in the room. About a minute later, which seemed like an hour, a tiny form came into view.

"And there's your baby." The doctor said quietly.

Neither parent could control their emotions, both getting a little tearful at seeing their child for the first time. He or she was so tiny – just a tiny little peanut on the screen. It was too early to tell the sex, but they didn't care, as long as it was healthy. God, let it be healthy. The doctor looked carefully at the screen as she moved the scanner around.

"Everything looks just fine." She told them. "You have a healthy baby."

Nick and Sara both breathed a sigh of relief. Sara turned her head to look at Nick, her face glowing and eyes sparkling. She was going to be a great mother – she already was to Mally. Nick gave her a loving kiss as the doctor kept working. They were still holding hands, gazing at the screen as the scanner still moved.

"Wait a minute."

Their hearts dropped.

"I see another baby."

Both parents' mouths dropped.

"What?" Nick almost screeched.

"Congratulations, you have twins."

They both tried to speak, but couldn't for a minute.

"Are you sure the computer didn't just refresh or something?" Nick asked incredulously.

Sara gave him a light slap on the bicep.

"No, Mr. Stokes. There's definitely two babies in there."

"Oh my God, Nick!" Sara's eyes were watery. "Twins! We're having twins!"

Nick was totally shocked and didn't know what to think, but when he saw the pure love in Sara's eyes, he knew everything was okay. Golly, he was having twins….er….Sara was having twins.

Nick let out a huge breath of air in happiness.

"Twins?" He asked.

"Twins!"

"TWINS!"

"Yes, TWINS!" Sara slapped his arm repeatedly in excitement. "Are you happy, Nick?"

The now father of three looked down at Sara, who stared back at him gleefully. How could he not be happy at this news?

"Of course I'm happy, Sara. God…" He wrapped his arm around her body (away form the gel, of course) and started kissing Sara. Nothing too over the top – they had an audience – but Nick couldn't be happier. He thought news of a baby was the best in the world, but two? How do people handle this? Nick pulled away after about ten seconds.

"Sorry." He told the doctor sheepishly.

"It's okay." She laughed. "I'm used to it. It's about the best news in the world."

"Yeah, it is. Sara, wait til we tell Mally. She's gonna flip!"

"You have other children?"

"Yeah, one daughter. She's fourteen. She's so excited."

"Oh, I didn't know you'd already delivered."

"Oh. No. She's Nick's from a previous relationship. But…sometimes feels like she's mine." She looked up at Nick.

He loved her even more for loving Mally like her own daughter. Nick had been searching for someone all Mally's life that was worthy of being her mother – and Sara surpassed that. He hoped Mally wouldn't invite Sara into her life, and she gradually was.

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"Daddy, why are we here?" Mally giggled as she looked around the fancy restaurant a couple of days later. She and her dad were burger people – they weren't really for frills and fancy cooking, just good homemade grub. So, Mally was a little suspicious when her father took her to an upscale restaurant.

"You'll find out in a minute." He told her from across the table. They were sitting at a quiet booth in the darkly lit restaurant. Nick wanted the mood to be just right for what he was about to ask his daughter. He was nervous beyond words, but he didn't let it show. Mally still thought he was some type of superhuman.

"Sara's not having triplets now, is she?" Mally joked, trying to lighten up her father. "Two is plenty."

"No, no, no." He took a sip of water. "Nothing like that."

Mally let out a little whimper and flashed her puppy dog eyes at him.

"Just be patient."

They ordered their meals minutes later, Nick telling his daughter to save room for dessert, because it was the best here.

"Daddy, seriously, you're wearing me out here. I don't think I can't take much more. What is it?" She'd always had the patience of an ant.

Nick sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep her under a leash for much longer.

"Alright."

"Yessss!"

Nick reached across the table and motioned for Mally to give him her hands. She did as he asked, and their four hands joined in the center of the table.

"Jesus, dad! You're getting' all emotional on me."

"Mally…don't ruin the moment." He told her, though she never could, of course.

"Sorry."

Nick looked into his daughter's eyes and she giggled back a little bit, her pupils shining in happiness.

"Mally, you have always been the most important person in my life. You know that, right?"

"Yes, daddy."

"And you know I love Sara very much."

"Dad, I understand that I'll never be replaced. I'm in the center of your heart." She recited, something he'd told her when she was younger.

"That's why…that's why I need to ask you something." Nick said, his face serious. Mally saw he wasn't joking around and suddenly started listening intently.

"Okay." She said nervously.

"I want…I want to ask for your permission…for me to ask Sara to be my wife."

Mally's jaw dropped. That was about the last thing she was expecting to hear. Okay, maybe not the LAST. They were in love, it was obvious. But she never thought the day would come.

"Huh?" She asked stupidly. Nick chuckled a little and squeezed her hands a little.

"Would it be okay with you if I asked Sara to marry me?" He repeated, looking her in the eye hopefully.

Mally paused and looked at her father in shock. Nick saw her face change from shock, to thoughtful, and then to happiness.

"Yes, daddy." She whispered. "I would like that a lot."

"Yes?" He confirmed.

Mally nodded excitedly and then brought her hands up to her face, covering her mouth in joy, then clapping a little.

Nick was so happy Mally had said yes that he got up and kneeled at her seat, taking her into his arms in a big hug.

"That means so much to me, Mally. Thank you." He cried out of happiness. He was almost more nervous about asking Mally than he was about asking Sara. Since he couldn't ask Sara's father for her hand, he thought he should at least ask his daughter. He could never marry someone she didn't approve of or feel totally comfortable with.

"Da-a-a-a-d!" She admonished him, patting him on the back, trying to get him to pull himself together.

"Sorry." He wiped his eyes and stood up, kissing her head. As Nick returned to his seat, the waiter came back with their meals.

"Alright, we need to eat this as fast as possible, dad, I have to tell Natalie about this right away!"

"Mally, no way! I need to ask Sara first before you go squealing. I don't want Sara finding out like I found out about the baby…or, babies. You two are hopeless."

Mally gave him an unbelievable look. Her dad had just told her he was asking Sara to marry him, and he wanted her to keep it a secret? A SECRET!

"Dad! What the hell?"

"Language, Mally!" He gave her a parental look. "Why don't you come help me pick out the ring tomorrow. Will that keep your conniving gossiping under control?"

Mally rolled her eyes.

"You do realize how hard this is for me, don't you?"

Nick gave her a big, rubbin-it-in smile.

"If you tell, I'll legally change your name to Edith Penelope Stokes, and there's nothing you can do about it."

A/N: Haha! I pulled a Full House/7th Heaven/Friends/insert countless other shows here. I'm sorry. I just had to do it. Please review! Feed me!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: This is a short chapter because I decided to make the proposal a stand-alone. My dorky ass actually googled creative marriage proposals and this one popped up and I thought it was perfect for Nick and Sara. I hope you like! And hey wow! Thanks for the reviews – 8 is the most ever! Thanks so much: )

Nick watched from the kitchen counter on a warm spring Saturday evening as he finished off loading the dishwasher. Mally's grounding was finally over with, so she was over at Natalie's for the night. Sara had just taken out a wine class filled with orange juice instead of her usual bubbly of choice. She sat barefoot, her legs perched on the cushion of the porch swing in their backyard. It had a perfect view of the dusk sky, where it was just beginning to show beautiful twinges of purples, reds, and oranges. Nick smiled and took out a beer – hey, he was a guy.

The cicadas were humming their spring song along with a few birds, and some children in the distance giggling. Sara was enjoying the sunset when Nick came out, Budweiser in tow, and sat down at her feet, taking them in his lap.

"Nick, you're such an ass." She laughed. "You bring out a Budweiser around a pregnant lady who can't have one?"

Nick laughed also as he put the rim to his mouth. "What? Just because you're in delicate condition, doesn't mean I can't enjoy a little sweet nectar of the gods."

"You know, when I'm in labor, I'll be begging for one of those. Seriously, make sure I'm knocked out."

"You don't want to experience the bonding throes of pain that is natural childbirth?"

One of Nick's sisters had attempted this, but gave in after only about half an hour.

"Would you like to be kicked in the balls, Nicholas Stokes?"

Nick winced in pain just at the thought, and then smiled down at Sara. He loved her sense of humor and her kind, gentle nature. Slowly, he ran his hands over the tops of her feet.

"Mmmmm…." Sara moaned, closing her eyes.

"You like that?" He whispered in a husky voice.

"Damn right. My feet and my back are really starting to kill me with your children's extra weight in here."

Nick smiled again and started working more intently at her feet, pressing into her soles, kneading gently. He couldn't love her more for carrying his two children and she didn't seem to know how beautiful she looked doing it. Sara was about two months along now and was already showing quite a bit with two in there. Sara's hand lay protectively across her abdomen, gently stroking it as Nick worked his magic on her feet. Nick momentarily leaned down and placed a kiss on one of her big toes, causing Sara to giggle like a little girl.

"That tickles, Nick. Stop." She protested.

"If there's a little girl in there and she giggles like that," Nick reached down and caressed her tummy, "We'll be broke cuz I'll give her whatever she wants." He then leaned over her and pressed a loving, slow kiss to her lips, stilling his hands momentarily.

"Don't you dare stop, Stokes." She smiled into the kiss. Nick sat back up, grinning and turned his attention back to her adorable feet. He traced a little circle around her tiny tattoo where her foot and leg met. Nick thought it was adorable and so sexy. He pressed a gentle kiss to it too, as he kept working.

"What kind of mother will you be if you have tattoes?" He inquired.

"A damn good one." She told him. "Apparently, I'll have to be since you're going to be a pushover."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You seemed to have resisted Mally. She's not spoiled at all."

"Yeah, well. She may have been cute, but if our little girl has eyes like yours, I'm done for."

Sara's heart melted at how sweet he was being. The couple sat in silence for a few minutes as Nick continued, eliciting pleasurable moans every once in a while from the brunette on the swing. They gazed out at the sunset and into each other's eyes, admiring the beauty in both.

When he felt the time was right, Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out a little shiny silver ring, keeping it concealed in his hand as he continued his massage. When she was looking away, Nick gently slipped the ring onto her left index toe and waited for her to notice.

Sara barely felt it, but knew Nick had just placed something on her toe. What the hell? She looked up at him and he looked back with such love and adoration in his eyes. His hands were up near her toes and she couldn't see what was on there. Slowly, he knowingly started moving his hands down centimeter by centimeter, until Sara could see undoubtedly what was there.

Sara let out a tearful gasp when she saw the beautiful diamond ring perched on her toe, bringing a hand to her mouth.

"Nicky?" She looked at him in a combination of confusion, hope, and anticipation.

"Sara…I have known you almost seven years." He started, trying not to get all choked up. "And every day you surprise me with something new and amazing and wonderful about you. And I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you, finding out new and magnificent things. I loved you since the day I met you, and it's growing each and every day. And the way you are with Mally…I am just in awe at how caring and sensitive you are to her and I can't wait to see how you interact with our own two children."

Sara was sniffling with a few tears running down her face as she looked at the man she adored and loved. Nick then took the ring off of her toe and gently took hold of her left hand. Carefully, he slipped the beautiful sparkling diamond on Sara's finger and looked into her eyes. That diamond had nothing on those eyes.

"Sara Sidle, will you allow me the honor of being your husband? Will you marry me?"

Sara had it and flung her arms around her now fiancée and started sobbing in happiness. Nick's arms went around her back and he stroked softly as she squeezed him tighter, never wanting to let go.

"Oh, Nick!" She sobbed-squealed.

"Is that a yes, then?" He asked into her neck, kissing it softly.

Sara suddenly pulled back, realizing she'd been too caught up in the moment to answer, but her emotional reaction said it all.

"Yes!" She gave him a passionate kiss. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Sara slapped his biceps excitedly.

"Ow!" He pretended to be hurt, rubbing his muscles. "Are you going to be this abusive when we're married?"

"I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes. "Oh my God! I'm engaged! Holy crap! I have to go call my mother in prison!"

Sara bolted off the swing as Nick laughed out loud at her. Just as she reached the door, though, Sara ran back to the swing and pounced on Nick's lap, straddling his legs. Nick was taken aback as the swing started swinging wildly, but he was quickly distracted by Sara's hot lips on his, kissing with as much fervor and passion as her slim body could. After about fifteen seconds, Sara pulled back and rested her forehead on Nick's.

"I love you, Nick. And I can't wait to be your wife." She reached down for his hand and placed it on her stomach. "And I can't wait for these babies to come and see what a wonderful father they have."

"Not as great as their mom." Nick kissed her back, their tongues meeting and communicating their complete adoration of one another. As Sara went back inside, excitedly asking the warden to put her mother on, Nick sat back and watched as the last of the sun disappeared behind the trees. He couldn't wait for the rest of the night…the next day…and the rest of their lives together.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – you made me so happy! A special thanks to MrsEads who went back to review all the chapters – you rock! Please enjoy and review!

Two months later, Sara was looking almost full-term with double the baby inside. She was almost five months along now, and her body was killing her. Nick watched helplessly as she struggled through morning sickness, sore feet, and an aching back. He was in even more awe of Sara than she had been before at the grace she handled her obviously difficult pregnancy. Somehow, she still managed to keep an upbeat, positive attitude despite the constant aches and pains she was experiencing. Today, when Nick came home from work, Sara was sitting on the couch watching Oprah, popping croutons in her mouth – another one of her strange cravings she'd had during her pregnancy.

"I got us Wendy's." Nick announced as he tossed his sunglasses and keys on the bar.

"Oh, thank God!" Sara told him, her mouth still munching on the crunchy little salad treats. "I love you Nick! I want to marry you!"

Nick gave her a look as he brought the meal over, giving her a peck on the cheek as he took a seat next to her.

All that Sara had requested was Frosty, which she had become addicted to during the past few months. She acted like it was a friggin' gourmet meal whenever Nick handed her one. Sara indulgently dipped a crouton into the frozen treat and popped it in her mouth, groaning in pleasure. Nick just watched her, his face contorting in disgust.

"Where the hell did you pick up that habit?"

"I'm pregnant! Leave me be! It's your children's fault – they told me to eat this. They're begging for croutons and Frosties." She shot him a pregnant death glare and continued munching. Nick just shook his head and unwrapped his Whopper (A/N: Ha! I didn't realize how sick that sounded until I typed it, but I'm leaving it!).

"Mal!" He shouted up the stairs from the couch. "Dinner's here!" Nick looked at the TV screen as the show came back from commercials. "Oh, God, not Oprah again. Please, Sara, something else."

"She makes me feel, Nick. The emotions she elicits from your cold-hearted fiancée are truly remarkable."

Nick had been patiently dealing with her raging, unstable hormones for a few months now, and he had Oprah to thank for it. He hated the fact that she'd also started watching "A Baby Story" on TLC, and she got super emotional every time – plus the idea of giant baby heads was making her nervous.

"Darlin', she doesn't need to be feeding your jack-in-the-box of emotions."

Sara backhanded Nick and then dipped another crouton into her Frosty. Ass.

Mally bounded down the stairs, her hair in pig tail braids, looking cozy in a pair of jeans and one of her dad's old hoodies.

"Wendy's!" She exclaimed, plopping down on the floor next to the coffee table. Mally's excitement about Sara's pregnancy was still in full swing. The family had since repainted the room next to hers a pale yellow (gender-neutral), and decorated it with pictures, toys, and teddy bears. She'd even bought a baby book of names and it had become a nightly routine to search for new ones. Nick and Sara decided they wanted to be surprised by the sexes, so they were trying to pick out two boy names and two girl names.

Mally grabbed her grub and immediately started dipping her French fries into her Frosty, similarly to Sara. She didn't even look up to see her father's reaction because she was so engrossed in the food.

"Y'all are nuts." He told them both, switching his gaze from female to female.

"Don't knock it till you try it dad." Mally told him.

"At least Sara has an excuse!" Nick told her, chewing on his burger. "She's pregnant! What's yours?"  
"I will not indulge you in your little game, father." She spat back at him, smiling.

"Then I will not indulge in giving you an allowance." He grinned in victory.

"Will you two zip it! Oprah's back on!"

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Natalie Grissom sat on the couch the next afternoon at her own home. Her mom was working, but her dad had the day off and he promised he'd hang out with her for a while. Gil was thrilled that his daughter still wanted to be around him at the age of fourteen and prayed that it would last. It was around this age that Lindsey had gotten especially snappy and distant from him, and it had broken his heart. But with Natalie, it was so far so good. Natalie was flipping through the channels of the TV when her dad came in with a bowl of popcorn.

"Daddy! You brought popcorn!" She exclaimed from underneath her cozy pj bottoms and sweatshirt.

"I thought you might enjoy it a little." He smiled as he took the seat next to her, Natalie sitting up. "Any Full House on?" Natalie smiled.

"Yeah. It's the episode where Stephanie goes to the dentist and Joey shows her where her courage hangy ball is." It was one of Natalie's favorites, so that made Gil like it too.

"That's a good one." He put his arm around his daughter as they settled in to watch the classic episode, munching, laughing and talking all along.

The family hadn't heard much from Lindsey in the last month or so. The college freshman was keeping a distance from her family since the big blowup. She'd called her mother to let them know she'd gotten there okay, and had only called once or twice since. Lindsey only talked to her mother and father, never asking to speak to her little sister, which was just fine with Natalie. Gil was just thinking of his oldest daughter when the telephone rang.

"Grissoms." He answered.

"Is this Mr. Gilbert Grissom I'm speaking to?" Asked a professional sounding male voice on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, it is. May I help you?"

The voice sighed before continuing.

"Mr. Grissom, my name is Marshal Elders and I'm the dean at UNLV. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your daughter, Lindsey Grissom, was recently found to have plagiarized a paper for one of her forensics classes."

"Plagiarism?" He repeated, stunned.

"Yes. The university has a no tolerance policy on this, so we've been forced to take some drastic action. Your daughter has been removed from all her classes for the rest of the semester, and unfortunately she won't receive any credit for any of these classes."

Gil paused and gaped, not knowing what to say. Lindsey was a lot of things, but he never thought she could be a cheater. What was going on with her? He needed to get in touch with her right away and find out.

"She'll receive no credit at all?"

"No, sir."

"Alright. I'll be down to get the full story tomorrow. Your name was…"

"Marshal Elders. You can find me at the administration building."

"I will. Thank you, Mr. Elders."

Gil angrily held up the phone, frustrated beyond words. She did what?

Natalie had been listening intently the entire time, and when Gil looked at her, she had an expression of mischievous eavesdropping, wanting to know more and everything.

"What happened?"

"I don't quite know yet. I need to find Lindsey." Gil got up from the couch and pulled on his jacket.

"Did she plagiarize something?" Natalie asked, based on what she'd heard her dad say.

"Nat, we need to just leave it until we hear the whole story. I don't know. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes, daddy."

"Good. I'm going to go by her dorm and see if she's there. If she comes by, will you please call my cell?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you, sweetheart." He walked over and kissed her forehead. "I am so sorry, Nat, for bailing out. You know I love to watch TV with you, right?" Gil took the moment to make sure she understood he wasn't ditching her by choice.

"I know, dad." She said, meaning it. Natalie was for once actually concerned about her sister. If what she'd heard was true, Lindsey was probably crushed. In deep trouble, but crushed. She hoped her dad would be able to find her.

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That afternoon at the Stokes residence, Nick was also on duty and it was Sara that was relaxing at home on the couch, catching yet another episode of "A Wedding Story", bawling her eyes out. Mally walked in from softball practice in some tear-away adidas pants and a tatty white t-shirt, looking like she was in pain. When she thought Sara wasn't looking, Mally bent over, putting a hand to her stomach. Sara could see through the mirror near the TV when Mally lifted her shirt up slightly that her belly was a bit red near her navel.

"Mal, you okay?" Sara asked. It didn't look like she should be asking that question, seeing as her face was red and tear-stained. Mally quickly dropped her shirt down again and looked up at Sara like a deer caught in headlights.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." She shrugged off.

"Mal."

"What? My stomach hurts a little." Mally threw down the rest of her softball gear near the breakfast bar and proceeded around to go get a snack from the kitchen.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yea-ow!" Mally all of a sudden winced in pain, crouching over and grabbing her stomach, and she tried in vain to choke back tears. With that, Sara managed to push herself up off the couch and waddle her way over to where the fourteen year old was standing.

"That's it. What's going on, Mally? Something's wrong."

Mally breathed deeply through her mouth and let it out calmly through her nose, trying to control the pain. She felt so dumb about what had happened and didn't want Sara to know, and especially didn't want her dad to know.

"Mal, you can tell me." Sara gently touched her arm in reassurance.

"Do you promise you won't tell dad?" Mally tried, knowing that wasn't totally possible. Sara gave her a look.

"You know I can't promise that. If it's really serious, he needs to know."

Mally sighed, knowing there was no way out of it now.

"I…" She lifted up her shirt a little bit. "I got my belly button pierced and it got infected."

"Mally!" Sara gasped when she saw how red and infected her stomach was. It must be killing her. Sara also knew she needed medical attention. "How did this happen?" She bent down to look a little closer.

"Well, Ashley's older brother works at a piercing parlor and he said he could bring some of it home and give me and Ashley free piercings. I couldn't pass that up."

"Yeah, except now it's infected. Mally, that was really dangerous."

"I know, Sara." She moaned and shoved her shirt back down. Softball practice had really been hell that afternoon and she wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

"Are you going to tell my dad?"

"What do you think Mally?" Sara asked her calmly, looking her straight in the eye. "Go get changed, and I'll take you to the doctor."

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Gil Grissom was driving around the UNLV campus, though it was nearing dusk and it would be hard to see any pedestrians soon. He figured this would still be the most obvious place for Lindsey to be. After making a couple rounds through the campus, he went to her dorm to try his luck. They'd be kicking her out of there too, he figured, and would have to come live at home again. Gil would be thrilled to have her back and knew Catherine would also, but he had no doubt it was the last thing Lindsey and Natalie wanted to happen at the moment. He explained to the kid on duty at the front desk that he was her father and needed to speak with her, and he was let up to the dormitories. Making his way past questionable and scantily clad teens, Gil found his way to Lindsey's dorm. He knocked on the door, expecting she probably wouldn't be there – she probably would have gone to a friend's house for a while. Gil was surprised that seconds later, Lindsey opened the door, looking decidedly angry and upset.

"Dad?" She stared back at him questioningly. "What are you doing here?" Lindsey hadn't told anyone about her expulsion yet and figured it was confidential, but it wasn't to the person paying the bill.

"The school called."

"About what?" She asked, hoping it was something else.

Gil raised his eyebrows and gave him what can only be described as a fatherly look.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

Wordlessly, Lindsey opened the door and let her father in. Her dorm was quite different than her room at home. She had a few band posters on the wall, but it had a decidedly more "girly" tone to it – a reminder that Lindsey had changed and grown a lot since high school. Gil knew that she loved college and it had done her a lot of good. But now that was being taken away from her.

"When do you have to be out?" He asked, straight up.

"What makes you think they'll kick me out of the dorms?"

"Linds, you have to be an active student to stay here."

That erased any possibility that her dad didn't know what was going on. Lindsey wanted to hide it and yet run to her parents at the same time. She knew they'd be disappointed in her and dreaded the looks on their faces, but at the same time when she was upset, they were always there for her.

"Plagiarism, Lindsey?" The words stabbed into Lindsey like a dagger. It sounded so awful to her now. She had cheated. She used a paper that wasn't hers. She was a horrible person.

"Dad, don't start. Please."

Gil stared at his daughter intently, seeing that she was pretty hurt. He knew that she was disappointed in herself and probably didn't need to hear any more about it tonight. Lindsey did still have a conscience deep down in that twisted mind of her, and Gil knew that pondering her poor decision was a worse punishment than anything.

"Alright. I won't say another word tonight, but we'll be talking later, understood?" He tried to reason with her.

After a few moments, her hands stuffed in her hoodie pockets, she gave a quiet response of "Yeah."

A few embarrassed moments of silence later, Lindsey went to her mini fridge and pulled out a soda to drink.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" Gil asked her.

"Staying here." She looked at him like he was an idiot, but quickly dropped it when she saw the look he gave her back.

"You're always welcome at home, you know."

Lindsey played with the strings on her hoodie, uncomfortable.

"Nat doesn't want me there."

"It doesn't matter what Nat thinks. It's your home too. If you want to come home, then come home. Don't let a little fight between you stop you from being home with us."

"It wasn't just a little fight." Lindsey recalled, reminding both herself and her dad of the scratches, bruises, and blood from that night.

"Sweetheart, Nat's really sorry about what happened. I'm sure if you went back, everything would be fine."

Lindsey let out a big, pondering sigh.

"I'll think about it."

"Okay. The door's always open if you want to come back. Any time, day or night."

"Thanks, dad."

Gil walked over to Lindsey and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Though he was really disappointed, it wasn't the end of the world and he didn't want her to think so either. Life would go on, but not until after a gigantic lecture.

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"Mally Stokes." The doctor said when he walked in the door to the treatment room. "Do you remember me?"

Mally thought really hard, but didn't.

"I removed a tooth from your nose when you were six years old. One of the funniest cases I've ever had."

Mally covered her eyes with her hand. Her father had never let her forget the fiasco of that day. She wanted to see if her first tooth would fit into her nostril and it did – a perfect fit. But then, she couldn't get it out. (A/N: Read about it in Single Daddy!)

"Ah, yes. I remember now. I was terrified."

"What have you done this time?" He asked her.

"My belly button's a little infected." She admitted. As a young teenager, she wasn't thrilled about being in a paper gown in just her undergarments waiting for a male physician to examine her.

"Really? Almost as interesting as the last visit." He smiled as he sat on his swivel chair and wheeled over to where she was sitting on the exam table. "Alright, let's have a look and we'll see what we can do."

Sara sensed Mally was uneasy – being a teenager was rough, and she knew she was self-conscious about her body. She went to stand by the bed in hopes her presence would comfort the young girl at least a little bit.

"I'll need you to lie down and lift up your gown a little." He instructed her. Mally lied back on the table and then slowly bunched up her gown just above her belly, making eye contact with the ceiling the whole time.

"Oh my goodness, Mally. I can see how that would bother you just a little bit." The doctor gently examined the area, touching it lightly and finding the puncture holes. Mally looked up at Sara, her eyes telling all her discomfort.

"You're doing great, Mal. Just take deep breaths." Sara told her.

"And where's your father today?" The doctor asked.

"Uhhh…he had to work. This is Sara, his fiancée." She introduced the woman standing next to her.

"Good to meet you Sara. Looks like the family's about to expand." He commented. Sara smiled and put a hand on her stomach.

"Yes – twins in fact. I'm about five months along."

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

The room was silent for a minute or so.

"Well, Mally, it looks like we'll need to clean out the hole that was made and then I'll need to give you a solution to keep it clean, and some antibiotics. That should clear it right up."

"Okay." She said, wanting it to be over. The doctor disappeared momentarily to get the needed items for treatment, and Mally took the opportunity to plead her case to Sara.

"Sara, will you please please please not tell my dad? He'll ground me forever." She gave her puppy dog eyes, something that still affected Sara and she knew it. Her dad had become almost immune to it over the years, but it still had some punch with Sara.

"Mally…" Sara warned. She really hated to get in the middle of their rare father daughter disagreements

"Sara, I'm getting treated and everything will be fine afterwards. Why does he need to know?"

"Because you know he wouldn't like it. Getting your navel pierced by some kid in less than sterile conditions was really dangerous. And I'm not about to hide the fact that you disobeyed him, Mal."

"He never said I couldn't get it done." Mally reasoned.

"Because you never asked him." Sara chimed back. "That's just as worse."

"Sara, _please_! I've learned my lesson. I'll definitely never do it again!" The puppy dog eyes came out again. "Please help me out, Sara. For me?"

Sara looked at her for a moment and pondered. The girl was right – once the treatment was over everything would be just fine and she could tell Mally would definitely never do it again. And when Mally was in trouble, she was really in trouble with Nick. Sara really wasn't in the mood to deal with that and having to baby-sit Mally. With her pregnancy and her exhaustion working in combination, she made a decision that in the back of her mind knew wasn't right.

"Do you absolutely promise you will never ever try this again?" She gave the girl the eye.

"Yes!" Mally promised hopefully, her eyes lighting up. Sara gave a huge sigh before answering.

"Okay."

Mally squealed, and then winced in pain when her movement bothered her abdomen.

"Thank you so much Sara! You're the best! I'll never forget this!"

"Yeah, yeah. You better not make me regret this."

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Later that night, Catherine, Gil and Natalie sat around the kitchen table together eating dinner. They tried their best to have family dinner as much as possible, but sometimes Gil and Cath's schedules made that impossible. Tonight, they were enjoying the meal together, though they ate in silence. Gil had told Catherine about the phone call from school and about his visit to her dorm. Catherine was slightly pissed, but also felt bad for Lindsey. She couldn't believe Lindsey would go do something like that. Her daughter was a smart girl – why had she resorted to cheating? Why did she think she couldn't do the work? All these thoughts swam through her head as she stabbed at her food.

"Cath?" Gil called her on her treatment of her dinner.

"What?" She glanced over at him, seeing a concerned look on his face. Natalie looked over at her mother. She hated to see her like this. "Sorry."

"She's just fine, Cath. I told her she was welcome to come back, but she is an adult."

Catherine chuckled humorlessly. "Could've fooled me."

They ate in silence for a few more minutes, when they heard the back door open. All three heads went up and waited for more movement.

"Lindsey? Is that you?" Gil called.

Slowly, the nineteen-year-old blonde came into view, her face sullen and defeated, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder. It looked like she'd had a long day. Immediately, Catherine's anger dissipated and she ran to her daughter.

"Lindsey!" She took her daughter in her arms, and Lindsey let her bag drop. From the table, Gil and Natalie could see her face and relieved tears began to fall from Lindsey's eyes as she clung to her mother. Catherine just continued to hold her daughter, swaying her back and forth a little in comfort. She said nothing, but they could all tell she was crying softly.

Lindsey was in thought as she was being held in her mother's arms. She was always the first to come running when she returned home, never Gil or Natalie. Though she loved her family, she always felt it was a little weird around them. Her real dad and her mom had been a family before, though not always happy, but they were a family. After her dad died, it was really bad for a while, but she and her mom were doing just fine. She adored Gil. She loved him enough to call him dad, and Lindsey truly thought of him as her father. But he wasn't. Her mom had formed a new family now with Gil, and sometimes Lindsey just felt like leftovers from her past life, a part that she knew her mother wasn't proud of. Lindsey was an accidental pregnancy, whereas Natalie was planned. She was always wanted. Lindsey was just there, trying to work through life.

The young girl watched as Gil and Natalie got up, bringing their plates to the sink. They both came over and Catherine finally let go of her daughter, allowing the other two to give her a hug.

"I'm glad you came back, sweetheart." Gil whispered, kissing her head. He gave her a wink as she pulled back and then turned to Natalie.

Despite their differences, they really did love each other deep down. They gave each other a look that only they could really understand. It was a 'you're my sister, not by choice, we don't get a long, but I still love you' look. Finally, they embraced each other for a few moments and then pulled back just as quickly. Catherine then took Lindsey in her arms again, so happy to see her.

"I'm so glad you're here, sweetheart."

Lindsey sighed and just let her mother hold her again.

A/N: Sorry for the huge dosage of angst in this chapter – more fluff will come soon, I promise! I just had to stir things up a little bit. I don't know what university policy is on plagiarism, but I felt like kicking Lindsey out of it. Let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews, guys! They're really making me write faster – thank you!

Lindsey Grissom opened her eyes the next morning to find herself in her high school bedroom. Bands she really didn't listen to that much any more were still up, mostly because she was never home long enough to really think about redecorating…or undecorating. It's not that she didn't like her family…she just didn't want to be around them that much. As a nineteen year old, she needed her space as she tried to find out what she was really about. College had been going so well, but after the fight with Natalie things had gone downhill. Lindsey was surprised at just how much the fight had affected her – it really hurt her emotionally. She hated that she had jumped at her little sister and couldn't blame Nat for fighting back. But when she did, it upset her even more to know there was that much rage inside her baby sister. All her life, her parents had told her she needed to protect Natalie, and there she was beating the hell out of her.

She'd been worrying so much about family life that she really didn't feel like doing much schoolwork, or even hanging out with her college friend. So she was just a couch potato – not exactly depressed, but just really down. It had gotten so bad that she'd stopped going to classes almost altogether and had recently resorted to paying off classmates to do her papers. Her main source was her friend Luke, and he assured Lindsey all the papers were one hundred percent original and she believed him. Then one day her forensics professor called her to his office and showed her two identical papers – one of which belonged to her. Lindsey didn't know what to say, so she just stayed silent. She'd been busted – what could she do? Caught red-handed. She knew what she was getting herself into when she started using Luke's papers, but never thought anything would happen. And now she'd have to explain it to her parents. She knew they wouldn't rest until they found out what drove her to do it, and they could always tell when she was lying.

Sighing, she looked at her alarm clock – 8:30. She couldn't sleep any longer, which was unusual. It normally only happened when she was really nervous or really upset. Lindsey decided to make her way downstairs where she could hear that her parents were already getting breakfast. As she neared the kitchen, she could hear their hushed whispers and could tell they were talking about her.

"Hi guys." She greeted them. They gave her a speaking-of-the-devil look.

"Good morning, Linds." Gil told her and gave her a hug, followed by her mom. "Do you want some pancakes?"

"Sure. I thought I smelled something cooking."

The family tried to small talk with each other, trying to stay away from the big issue of the day. Catherine and Gil wanted to give her time to cool down until they started in with their questioning. She still seemed really upset.

"Linds, do you want to go to the butterfly sanctuary with me today?" Gil asked his daughter. It was a favorite outing of theirs from the time Lindsey was a little girl, even before he'd married Catherine. She delighted in the beautiful, colorful creatures and Gil would passionately tell her about each one. Lindsey just ate it all up and she was as close to a butterfly expert as her father was now. Almost.

"Yeah, dad. That sounds good."

"Okay. Shall we go at say, 2:00?"

"Yeah."

Natalie came down the stairs, unable to sleep in also. She didn't look to thrilled to find the rest of her family eating without her.

"Hi, sweetheart." Catherine greeted her. "You want some pancakes too?"

"I'll get 'em." She told her mother, as she went to the stove and dished herself out a couple of hotcakes. Natalie took her plate to the table, filling up the fourth and final seat.

"Linds and I are going to the butterfly sanctuary later. You wanna come?"

"No thanks, dad." She looked at her sister, poking at her food. "I've got homework to do."

No one dared look at Lindsey, and they all continued eating in silence.

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Nick Stokes was so glad to get home finally a little after one in the afternoon. He'd had to pull overtime, which he really didn't like doing with Sara home in a fragile state. Nick was lucky to have Mally around to help him out. She was being so great about getting Sara whatever she needed without complaining. He came home to find the two women in his life on the couch, watching the movie Return to Me. Sara had been choosing to watch every single romantic comedy she could get her hands on. They'd decided to wait until after the twins were born to get married. Sara didn't want to be married while she was pregnant, though she couldn't wait to get hitched to the one and only Nick Stokes. So, until then, she was all into the romance of the movies.

"Good afternoon, ladies." Nick greeted them, a pile of mail in his hands that he'd just brought in. He'd actually had perfect timing with the mailman, getting the straight hand-off today, which hadn't been happening lately.

He received a unified "Hey." from Sara and Mally, but they kept their eyes glued to the screen, tossing popcorn into their mouths. Nick shook his head and started sifting through the day's mail. All seemed normal until he came to an envelope from the emergency room of the hospital. Sara had been in for appointments, but he saw no reason they should have been to the emergency room. He curiously opened the envelope.

Sara and Mally were completely oblivious to the fact that Nick was going through the new mail. Mally had been intercepting it each day, waiting for the doctor's bill to come. She'd slip it to Sara and get it paid, and her dad would be none the wiser.

Nick started reading the bill – charges for seeing the doctor, a cleaning of the navel area, and a prescription of antibiotics and cleaning solution. What the hell did that have to do with pregnancy?

"Sara, what's this?" He crinkled his nose as he read it over again.

"Huh?" She turned her head.

"An emergency room bill? Are you okay? When did this –" He looked back at the top where it said patient name, and instead of his fiancée's name, he found his daughter's. When Nick looked back at the girls, Mally had that look like when she was in deep trouble, and Sara looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

Sara glanced at Mally and knew they couldn't cover it now. She pushed herself up off the couch and walked over to Nick.

"Nicky, come with me." She touched his arm, but he was getting worked up and it would be hard to calm him down, especially when his daughter was involved.

"No. I want to know what this is about. Mally, are you okay?"

Mally looked down at her lap. "Yes, dad."

"Then what's going on? Why were you at the emergency room? And why was your _navel_ being treated?" He glanced back down at the bill.

When neither of them answered, Nick knew he had uncovered something big and that both were involved somehow. Sara looked unsure how to continue. Nick shifted his weight, getting annoyed. He finally walked over to Mally and stood in front of her, not before finding the remote and switching the TV off. She knew there was no hiding now that he sniffed something was going on.

"Mally, you tell me what is going on _right _now." He ordered her with command in his voice. Mally hated the stance he was taking and that look on his face. She started getting teary-eyed. "Now, Mally." Sara just watched them, feeling really bad for Mally, but really nervous about what Nick would say when he found out she'd tried to help cover it up.

"Ashley's older brother works at a…piercing parlor…" Nick shifted his weight and let out a huge sigh before she continued. "And he said he could pierce Ashley and me for free. So he brought the stuff home and…did it." Mally started crying more.

"You let Ashley's brother pierce your belly button? At their _house_?"

"Yeah." She choked out. "Daddy, I'm sorry!" Mally said louder when he started pacing, arms folded, which was never a good sign.

"Why did you go to the emergency room?" He started drilling.

"It got infected, and S….Sara took me there." The teenager looked at Sara, as if asking for help.

Nick's eyes shot over to his fiancée. He couldn't believe she had helped her out and hadn't told him.

"And you never told me?" Nick said coldly, putting his hands on his hips, glaring at his daughter. Mally didn't dare look at him. "You were trying to cover it up?"

"I knew you'd get mad, but dad, I took it out and I'll never do it again, I promise!"

"That's not the point, Mally. You LIED to me when you didn't tell me. And you did something you knew I wouldn't like without asking.." Nick shook his head in disbelief. "What has gotten into you? You snuck out with Natalie and now you're piercing your body without my permission? Is there anything else I should know about?"

"No." She replied meekly. She thought about reminding him it was for free, but didn't think it was such a good idea after he'd received the giant doctor's bill for fixing it.

"How's your belly now? Are you okay?" He wanted to make sure. "Let me see it."

Mally all of a sudden got uncomfortable. "Daaaad! No!" She chided him like he was insane. Mally had gotten really uptight about exposing her body to anyone lately and really didn't want to go through it again, even if it was her own father.

"Mal, I've seen you in a bathing suit. It's no different…"

Sara had been a bystander up until this point but could see Mally was really uncomfortable with this idea. She knew Mally loved her dad, but she was fourteen years old and suddenly really modest.

"Nick, just leave it." She told him, walking over to him again. "I've seen it, and she's just fine." Sara told him truthfully. For some reason, Sara had been about the only person Mally had been comfortable showing any part of her body to lately. She'd checked on her every night to make sure the medicine was working, and her abdomen was just about healed.

Nick studied Sara for a moment, and decided to take her word, though he wasn't sure if he should at this point. She'd lied to him too.

"Okay. I believe you." He let his look linger a bit, letting her know he wasn't happy. "Mal, get up to your room and wait for me. I'll be up in a minute." He told her calmly. Mally quickly stood and darted up the stairs, closing her door. Nick watched her go up the stairs and kept his eyes there until he heard her door close. His hands still perched on his hips, he turned to Sara.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He started.

"Nick…I"

"She was in the emergency room, Sara. That's a big deal. I'm her father and I need to know things like this."

"I know Nick, and I'm sorry. It's just…"

"What?" Nick really wanted an explanation.

"She was really upset about you finding out, and I was feeling really stressed and tired at the time, so I told her I wouldn't tell you, as long as she promised not to try it again."

Nick shook his head. "I can't believe you let her play you like that." He rubbed his face in disbelief. Mally wasn't a bad kid, but she had her tricks, and Sara had fallen for one of them.

"Play me? Nick, she was…"

"Save it, Sara. You can't let her manipulate you like that. Now she thinks certain things she can get away with if she comes to you first. Do you see what you're doing here?"

Sara was getting upset, and her pregnancy hormones weren't helping. She felt like Nick was attacking her, even though he was just really upset about being lied to. Finally, she broke down and started crying in the middle of the kitchen. Nick immediately felt horrible and was over to Sara in seconds, taking her in his arms. He knew upsetting her was not only bad for her at this point, but bad for the babies.

"Sara, baby, I'm sorry…."

"No! I'm going to be a horrible mother, Nick, I am!" She sobbed into his shoulder. "You're right! I let her take advantage of me and I shouldn't have. I've just been trying so hard to fit in with you both, and it's hard, Nick!"

"Sssshhhh….I'm sorry." He waited for her crying to die down a little. Nick really felt like an ass, but he was concerned about his daughter. "Sara, look at me."

She slowly picked her head up from his shoulder, looking defeated.

"Sara, you are not a bad mother, nor will you ever be. You made a mistake, we all do. I can't tell you how many mistakes I've made as a parent. But you're a first time mom dealing with a teenager, Sara. That's the toughest age, at least to me, it is."

He wiped some tears from her eyes and kissed her softly. Sara was trying to breathe in and out calmly. This couldn't be good for the babies.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. You just have to remember not to let her get away with crap like that, and don't let her play you. She can be good at that. And I'm going to have a talk with her about that. I'm totally busting her on it. I won't allow it. Okay?" Nick rested his forehead on hers, and reached out to touch her belly where his two children to be rested.

"Why don't you go lay down for a bit? Get some rest."

"Okay." Sara nodded. Nick helped lead her up the stairs to their bedroom, past Mally's closed door and past the twins' nursery. He tucked her in and gave her another slow, sensual kiss. Sara soon dropped into a peaceful slumber.

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"Oh! Look at that one, dad!" Lindsey pointed at a beautiful blue butterfly as it flew past at the Las Vegas Butterfly Conservatory. It had been a solace for the pair even since Lindsey's first visit with Gil when she was four. The word 'dad' was always music to Gil's ears, coming from Lindsey. He felt so honored and proud to be her dad, because he hadn't been her father at all until she was about six. It was like she'd selected him for the position and he couldn't be happier.

"It's beautiful. Morpho Menelaus." He rattled off. Lindsey gave him a look as if to say, don't start with your scientific jargon. "Sorry." He apologized. Gil couldn't help it – science was his life. Well, at least after his family. There was a time when that wasn't the case, when he engrossed himself in his profession, never loving anyone, never taking a break, and never really living. That's why he adored Lindsey so much – she showed him why he was alive. Gil studied his daughter as she walked around the sanctuary, her eyes lighting up like she did as a little girl as she saw the creatures fly around. A young girl ran past them, yelling excitedly at her dad, reminding Gil of what Lindsey was like as a youngster.

"What's that one?" Lindsey asked her father, knowing that he loved to talk about his beloved butterflies. He had dozens framed in his office at home and at work. They were his pride and joy.

"Goliath Birdwing Butterfly. Ornithoptera Goliath." He said of the green, yellow, and black creature.

"It's beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you." Gil said, being cliché.

"Dad, please!" She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. Secretly, she loved hearing things like this and he knew it. A young girl could never get tired of being complimented by her dad, the most important man in her life.

"It's true." He told her, and then pulled her in for a shoulder hug, kissing her temple. Gil was glad that she didn't pull away like she sometimes did. He could tell she was desperate – desperate for some guidance, begging for him to tell her the right thing to do. Gil wasn't so sure himself, but he was the parent – it was his job.

"You know I'll always love you, no matter what." He said seriously, knowing it might make her uncomfortable. But he needed to get it out so she knew.

"Daaaad." She blushed a little, but inwardly was glad he'd said it.

"And your mom and Natalie too. Even though she doesn't always show it."

Lindsey started getting a little teary eyed at how Gil was trying to cheer her up and support her. She was surprised that her parents hadn't started jumping down her throat yet – at least with her mom. Gil was always the calm one. He spoke with conviction, but gently, making everything he said a little easier to swallow, as opposed to her mom's more dramatic, upset tone. But he always made her feel really disappointed in herself when he was done. Somehow, it always made it seem worse – he got her to think about her actions. Her dad was sneaky like that. Gil was a salt of the earth type of guy.

With all these thoughts running through her mind, Lindsey had to cover up her face to keep from crying full out in public. Gil put a hand on her shoulder and led her off to a corner, realizing she was getting emotional.

"Heeeey…don't cry." He pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back in comfort. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, dad, it's just…I'm so confused. I can't believe I cheated, and you're being all supportive and stuff. But Nat's really mad, and I know mom wants to jump all over me…"

"Linds, just calm down." He stopped her as he saw she was getting overwhelmed. His hands were on her upper arms, rubbing them lightly to calm her. "You're getting ahead of yourself. All your mom and I want to do right now is make sure you're okay. Keep your head up, and don't let anyone get you down, especially Nat. I've already spoken to her about her comment earlier and about the situation in general, so she knows not to try anything. You just need to take some deep breaths, and don't worry so much. Life goes on."

Lindsey nodded in appreciation and then rested her head back on Gil's shoulder. "Thank you, dad." She told him. And he held her until she'd calmed down behind a tree in the butterfly sanctuary.

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Mally felt like she was a little girl again as she waited for her father to come to her room. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but this was always the worst part – sitting, wondering what he was going to say, and anticipating his disappointed face. Mally didn't often get in trouble, but when she did, Nick was one to make a big event out of it so she wouldn't try it again.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she heard his footsteps nearing her door and he knocked.

"Come in." She said, trying not to sound intimidated.

Nick walked in and closed the door. Just minutes earlier, he'd taken Sara to their bed so she could calm down after what Mally had pulled. Instead of going in to Mally's room immediately, he thought he'd let her sweat it out a bit more. He pulled out her chair and sat next to her bed.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself before I begin?" He asked her, which was a horrible, horrible sign. Mally looked mortified, and she quickly shook her head no. It was always worse to try to make excuses, she knew.

"Good. I just got done helping Sara to bed because she about had a nervous breakdown because now she thinks she'll be a horrible mother. Do you think that's fair on her, or on the babies?"

"No."

"Did you think about that when you tried to pull a sheet over Sara's eyes?"

"No."

Nick paused and just stared her down, letting his words sink in.

"Mally, I'm not going to lecture you on what you did wrong, because I think you're old enough and smart enough to know what you did. You knew what you did was wrong, because you tried to cover it up. And you dragged Sara into it with your little sob story. Again, you showed absolutely no respect for your own body, your own safety, or for me."

Mally was starting to quietly sob now that Nick was railing on her. He made her sound like such an awful person, and she should've known better – which she did. She hated him for making her feel so awful, but at the same time knew she deserved it.

"If you had come clean to me, I would've only grounded you for two weeks, but since you tried to cover it up, you're grounded for four. Since you were a little girl, I have tried to drill one thing into you – honesty. Honesty towards adults, teachers, your friends, and especially me. Your behavior in the last few months has really made me question if I've been doing a good enough job with you. Now, you sit here and think about that until dinner time."

Mally didn't dare say a word, and Nick got up, putting the chair back, leaving the teenager crying on her bed. Though he hated having to punish her, he did feel a degree of satisfaction because he seemed to get through to her. Nick was thankful she did seem to have a conscience most of the time, though she'd been showing a number of lapses lately. He went downstairs to start dinner, his pulse still racing from his suppressed anger and disappointment.

Mally really didn't know why she'd been acting up lately. She knew that before, she was kind of upset about Sara now being in her life, and a little on impulse and boredom. But why did she want to pierce her navel again? Mally didn't know if she ever really wanted it done. Maybe it was just because she knew her dad wouldn't like it and there was the thrill of possibly getting caught. Well, she did get caught and it really wasn't that exciting or thrilling any more. Mally didn't get why she'd acted on such impulse when everything else in her life was going so much better. She and Sara were actually getting along and, dare she say, getting closer each day. Mally had made Sara feel awful, and so she felt awful. Sara was carrying her new siblings, which she was enthralled about. Her dad loved her to pieces. What was wrong? Mally collapsed onto her bed and hugged her favorite teddy bear tight. She supposed she would have a month to think about it.

A/N: Aaaarggghh! Angry Nick! The birth of the twins will be soon…stay tuned. I hope you don't mind how I'm portraying pregnant Sara – I just figured she'd be doped up on crazy emotions. I know she's normally a very strong female, but I think her stress of carrying twins may cause a lapse. Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! I had a busy weekend, so I couldn't update until now. All my friends are getting married, I feel so old! Anyways, there seems to be an abundance of Snicker baby births lately (not that I'm complaining – I'm all for joy!), so I hope this is somewhat original. Please review, as always!

The mood in the Stokes' residence was understatedly gloomy for the rest of the evening, as Nick tried to cool himself down, and Mally spending the night moping alone in her room. Dinnertime was full of tension and sad faces, and all three were glad when it was over. Nick made Mally do the dishes, and Sara went straight back up to bed, spent from her pregnancy and the emotions of the day.

Later that night, Nick knocked on his daughter's door to check that she was going to bed like he always did, at least when he wasn't working. Mally was already tucked under the sheets, looking rather glum when her father entered. Now that she was in high school, he mostly just opened the door to check, saying 'Good night' and 'I love you', but Mally knew she was in for a heart-to-heart when he instead shut the door and sat on her bed.

Mally didn't say anything as he reached out to tuck a piece of fallen hair from her ponytail behind her ear. He offered her a half-smile as he assessed the day's events in his mind.

"You know I still love you, right?" Nick asked her when he still saw in her eyes that she was upset. Ever since she was a little girl, Nick always made a point to tell her this after giving her a punishment. He did it out of love, though sometimes she found it hard to understand that. Deep down, she was glad he was keeping her on track and didn't take any of her funny business. He taught her by example what was right, and that made her trust him completely. The only man a girl could fully depend on was her dad.

"Yeah." She replied, exhausted and not wanting to talk about it anymore. Mally felt her eyelids begin to close on their own accord and struggled to keep them open now. Nick saw this and kissed her forehead.

"Good. Go to sleep now." Nick told her, getting up from her bed. "I love you, bug."

This was the last thing Mally heard as she drifted off into a much-needed sleep.

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The encounter finally came in the morning when both Natalie and Lindsey were trying to get ready. Both happened to walk into their shared bathroom at the same time, and both were too stubborn to leave. They stood there, glaring at each other for a few moments, and then began going about their morning routines of brushing teeth and washing their faces in total silence.

"I need to take a shower." Lindsey finally said.

Natalie continued applying her make-up in preparation for school, ignoring her sister's request. She'd taken her shower last night and could care less if her sister got hers anytime soon.

"Could you please let me have the bathroom to myself?" She asked again, a hand on her hip. Lindsey was truthfully trying to be nice, but Nat wasn't making things any easier.

"Why? You don't have anywhere to be. You were expelled, remember?"

"I need to go look for a job, thank you very much." She answered shortly, trying to keep her temper in check. In that way, she was more like her father Eddie. When Natalie still didn't move, she gave a huff and started to walk out.

"I'll just go use mom and dad's bathroom."

Natalie suddenly felt a little guilty. Though she was really mad at her sister for many reasons, her parents had talked to her about being civil and putting herself in Lindsey's shoes. Well, if she were Lindsey she never would have done something so blatantly stupid in the first place. But she also knew Lindsey had been somewhat depressed. She wasn't helping the situation.

"Lindsey, wait." She said guiltily. Mally felt her heart drop when her sister turned back around with tears streaming down her face.

"You don't understand, Natalie!" She started, sobbing. Natalie just stared at her sister, probably looking very surprised and afraid at what she might say. She was a kid who hated to upset people. "You don't get it! My mother went off and married some guy and just started a whole new bright, happy new family! You don't know what it's like to feel like last life's leftover meatloaf. Do you know how jealous I am of you? The way dad looks at you and is so proud of every little thing you accomplish? I know he loves me, but I'm not his. It's not the same."

"Are you crazy?" Natalie butted in, not being able to stand it anymore. "I have had to take so much shit from them because of you! All the mistakes you made, I have to pay for."

"And what do you think it feels like to be labeled as 'the example of what not to do'? Everything mom did with her former life – stripping, my father, me, and all my actions – they're all a huge mistake. And now she has Gil and you to make it all better."

Natalie decided to bite her tongue and make herself count to ten before continuing. Both girls' hearts were beating fast and they breathed heavily from all the emotions.

"Is that what you think, Linds? We're her cover up for her mistakes? She made some mistakes, but we all do, and we all work to make it better. Mom was trying to provide a better life for you when she married my dad. From what I've heard, Eddie was a terrible parent, and our dad – I would never want to trade him for the world. Mom married him because she loved him and she knew he'd be a great father to you, and any kid they brought into this world."

Lindsey was crying harder now as she listened to her sister speak, realizing it was the truth.

"And the way he looks at me, Linds? You should see the way he looks at _you_. He had no life before you and mom, and I know you snapped him out of whatever workaholic trance he was in before. Lindsey, he adores you. He adores us both. Can't we both adore him back and it be okay?"

Lindsey realized that all along she'd been fighting with her family, where they could have been her support, and she could have been theirs. Now her sister practically hated her most of the time and couldn't stand to be in the same room. She'd given her parents so much crap, she was amazed they still took her in.

Lindsey composed herself, wiping her eyes as she stood facing her little sister - the sister that was so much younger, but sometimes seemed so much wiser than her.

"Yeah. I'd like that." She sniffled, smiling through her tears. Natalie smiled back at her, and walked over to her sister, giving her a warm embrace. The feuding sisters had finally met some sort of a truce, for now, at least.

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_Three and a half months later_

The Grissoms and the Stokeses had gotten together one Saturday afternoon to celebrate. It had taken some rearranging of schedules, but somehow Nick, Sara, Grissom, and Catherine had the afternoon off to picnic. And surprisingly, all of their children chose to attend.

"I can't believe everyone is actually here." Catherine said as they all gathered around the picnic table, grabbing at food and condiments on the warm day. It was perfect weather for a picnic.

"Well two of them really didn't have a choice." Nick pointed out, gently stroking Sara's very pregnant belly. Sara had been rendered almost immobile near the end of the trimester at the size of the twins. She looked gorgeous as a mother-to-be, but it was killing her. Still, Sara kept a beaming face, hating to be fussed over or thought of as vulnerable. Sara joked that Nick had been sneaking the twins cheeseburgers at night when she was asleep.

"You know, I gained almost thirty pounds with this one." Catherine complained, lightly punching Natalie in the shoulder.

"God, mom, you're so abusive!" She complained, rubbing her shoulder.

"She is a feisty one." Gil admitted, and Catherine turned to face her husband sitting next to him. Gil smiled and gave her a quick kiss to the lips, then turning back to their meals. Sara ate two cheeseburgers, a serving of fries, three pickles, a banana, and thirty two cheese cubes.

After lunch was over, Sara sat back on her lawn chair, her hands resting on her stomach, thinking about how much she would love the two little people growing inside of her when they finally were born (she tried not to think about that). But she really shouldn't have eaten that last pickle, she thought, as she felt a bit of a stomachache coming along.

"Hey there, beautiful." Nick said, sitting down on a chair beside her. He leaned down and gave Sara a slow, sensual kiss, though he held back on the tongue with children in sight. As he almost finished, Sara let out a painful groan beneath him, and he pulled away quickly.

"Are you okay, Sar? Are you having pains?" Nick asked her, placing a protective hand on her plump belly, rubbing gently.

"Yeah, I just ate too much. It'll go away soon."

Nick studied her intently. He had no idea what contractions were supposed to feel like, obviously, but Sara didn't often complain of stomach aches after eating.

"Are you sure it's the food, sweetheart? You _are_ eight and half months along."

Sara chuckled humorlessly. "Nick." She said seriously. "I will not go into labor half a month early."

Nick sighed, knowing Sara was one stubborn girl, especially when she was pregnant. He didn't like the sound of these pains, and knew he'd have to get a second opinion from someone who'd been through it to convince Sara to see a doctor.

"Baby, will you talk to Catherine for me, just to make sure? I want our babies to be safe and I know you do too." Nick was leaning over the reclined woman, idly stroking her dark curls, his hand still sitting on her abdomen.

"Okay." She agreed. Nick kissed her before getting up to find Catherine. The mother of two quickly scurried over to where Sara was laying.

"Hey, Sar." She felt Sara's forehead and stroked her hair back as Nick stood behind the chair, looking down. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good." She admitted.

"What kind of pains are you having?"

Sara's face contorted in pain at that moment. It was the fifth or sixth time that a sharp pain had passed over her abdomen, every fifteen minutes or so. But it was just that damn pickle. She knew it looked kind of shady – damn her appetite!

"Sara, I think you're in labor." Catherine told her.

"No, no, no, no." Sara dismissed her, shaking her head. "I'm not due for another two weeks. These puppies are not ready to come out. I'm not ready for them to come out."

"Well, Sara, it's not always exactly nine months, and plus you've got two in there. Not much room. I bet they're just itching to spread out."

"Well, my cervix is not prepared!" Sara argued. "Nick and I still have another Lamaze class to go to!"

"Sara, sweetheart, babies don't care if you're ready or not. They're coming out. Today."

Nick walked around and squatted next to Sara, who was looking petrified. This was not happening.

"Sara, I think we should go to the hospital."

"But I don't want two giant baby heads ripping through my vaginal cavity! I changed my mind!" Sara was now really starting to feel some pain. Geez, they didn't lie when they said childbirth was the most painful thing ever. She would really have to kick Nick in the balls later.

Nick chuckled a little, though he knew Sara wasn't finding it funny. Catherine bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"You can get an epidural. It won't be so bad."

Natalie, Lindsey and Mally came over to see what the commotion was about, followed by Gil.

"What's going on, dad?" Mally asked of her father.

"I think Sara's going into labor." He told his daughter, looking up at her. Mally's face lit up and she looked so happy that she squealed.

"Hey!" Sara was a little offended. "You're not the one pushing a watermelon out a strawberry!"

The smile immediately left her face. "Sorry."

The team of two families managed to walk Sara over to Nick's Denali and cart her into the front seat. Nick got in the driver's seat and Mally threw herself in the back. The Grissoms cleaned up the mess and then got into their own Denali to head to the hospital.

"Heee heee hoooo! Heeee heee hooo!" Mally was leaning around the passenger seat, trying to get her stepmother-to-be to breathe. "Breathe, Sara, breathe!" She commanded her, like she was in a medical drama. Nick was surprised at how good Mally was at this, because Sara was actually starting to do as she asked. She overemphasized her breathing, trying to calm herself.

"That's right, Sara, keep doing that. Keep going." Nick encouraged her, but he was freaking out. He was going to be a daddy – again – twice over. He couldn't wait to meet the two children that had been developing inside of Sara these past nine months.

"Shut up, Nick!" Sara snapped.

Mally started demonstrating the breathing again for Sara, and then Nick joined in, and then Sara. All three were doing Lamaze breathing as they drove quickly down the street to hospital. And all three seemed to need it.

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An hour later, Nick and Mally were sitting on chairs near Sara's delivery bed happily munching on a box of Fig Newtons. Sara was between contractions, trying to relax as much as possible. Nick chose to stay a little away from Sara on the chairs when she wasn't contracting, because she was a bit moody, to say the least. Not that he could blame her.

"Ugh! How can you guys eat a time like this?" Sara complained, her hands resting on her belly. Her feet were resting on the stirrups, a sheet covering her legs. She'd been told it would be a few hours before the real action, so the family was going for endurance.

Nick nibbled at his Fig Newton, looking thoughtful.

"Whenever my fiancée's having a baby, I like to enjoy delicious Fig Newtons. Now fat free!" He rattled off like he was in a commercial. Mally burst out laughing, and Sara couldn't help but giggle a little. Maybe she wouldn't kick him in the balls later after all.

Oooooooohhhh…contraction. Sara took back her last statement. Nick could tell instantly she was in pain by the way her face contorted. He was off his feet that second, by her side. Taking her hand, he allowed her to squeeze it as she closed her eyes and threw her head back in pain.

"You're doing great, baby. Just breathe. That's right." Nick told her, looking into her eyes, even though they were closed. Mally watched in fascination from the chair, a Fig Newton stopped on its journey to her mouth, as she observed her father at what she felt was his best. He was being so caring and attentive to Sara, even though she was really crabby. She was going to give birth to his children; her siblings.

When the contraction was over, Nick could visibly see Sara's shoulders relax and she took a deep cleansing breath. He gave her a loving kiss on the lips and wiped some sweat from her brow with a towel.

"Good job, Sara. You're doing perfect."

"Thanks." She managed a smile.

Just then, the anesthesiologists came in with her kit. Sara absolutely hated needles, but with this pain, she could stand it this time.

"Oh, thank god!" Sara exclaimed when she saw the doctor.

"Are you ready, Miss Sidle?"

"Hell, yes."

Nick helped Sara sit up and untie her hospital gown. He watched, rubbing the top of her back soothingly, as the doctor prepped her spine and then inserted the amazingly large needle into his fiancée's back. Damn, he was glad he wasn't a woman.

"Daddy, where do babies come from?" Mally asked in jest, trying to sound like she was a little kid again.

Nick helped Sara lay back down, giving his daughter a look.

"Mally, this is actually a lesson to teach you to never ever have sex. This horribly painful, messy, not remotely sexy thing happens." Sara told her. She was in a smug mood and wasn't ashamed. "Never let a dick anywhere near you, you got that?"

"Sara!" Nick admonished her. Sure, he liked it when she talked a little dirty, but not to Mally.

"Sorry." She apologized. "It fucking hurts."

Nick just had to shake his head and smile. Guilty as charged.

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"Mom, does it always take this long?" Natalie moaned, snuggled up with her mother in the hospital waiting room. It had been almost four hours since they'd arrived. She really wanted to be there for when the twins were born, but this was just horrible.

Catherine kissed her daughter's forehead, now reminded of just how precious her own children were to her as Sara was delivering her first; and second.

"I was in labor with you for fifteen hours."

Natalie sat up and looked at her mother, her mouth now wide open.

"Fifteen hours? How did you survive?"

"Hey, some women are in labor for a lot longer. Plus, I had your dad there to help me. And for me to punch around."

Gil grinned from the other set of padded, uncomfortable chairs across the row. Lindsey was curled up next to him, looking deep in thought.

"This one was the worst though, wasn't she?" Gil asked, looking down at the blonde. Catherine nodded and smiled.

"Twenty-three hours. She just wanted to take her time."

Lindsey smiled as she gazed at her mother from her spot under her dad's arm. Catherine couldn't help but think she was looking strangely juvenile. Maybe something about childbirth that sent people back into their family roles.

"But she was a beauty. Couldn't take my eyes off her for hours." Catherine reminisced. "And she just stared back at me, all wide-eyed." Just like she was doing now. Gil tightened his arm around his daughter at the memory. He had been there for Lindsey's birth also, because Eddie was out of time and she needed someone there with her. They'd been best friends for years, and Cath couldn't think of anyone else she would rather have with her.

"What did I do when I was born?" Natalie inquired.

"You went straight to the breast." Catherine patted her hip lightly. "You had the most beautiful blue eyes, just like your dad." Natalie's eyes were one of Catherine's favorite features of her daughter.

The family of four just sat there in silence for the next few minutes, Gil holding Lindsey, and Catherine holding Natalie. Catherine couldn't help but think this was how it was supposed to be.

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"RRRRRRrrrrrrrraaaaaaaahhhh!" Sara screamed as she tried to push the first baby from her body. Nick was by her side, holding her hand and stroking her hair. He felt so helpless and guilty that Sara was having to go through all this pain. The epidural had helped, but she still felt a fair amount of pain. Mally was still in the room, behind her dad. She didn't want to see what was going on, but wanted to be there when her siblings were born. This was enough to convince her not to have sex for at least a few years.

"You're doing great, Sara." The doctor told her from between her legs. "The baby's head is out. Just one more push and the first will be out."

Sara nodded her head, a tear falling from her eye as she tried to concentrate on Nick's hand and the supportive kiss he placed on her forehead. Nick took a moment to look between Sara's legs and saw the beautiful head of his second child.

"Come on, baby. One more push." He whispered. Sara closed her eyes in concentration, took a deep breath, and pushed with all her strength. She let out a painful noise and finally let her body relax as she felt the baby come free of her body. The unhappy cry that followed was music to her ears. She allowed herself the first smile in a few hours now.

The doctor pulled the squealing baby into his arms and placed it on the waiting cart. Nick got teary-eyed and emotional as he saw his child for the first time.

"You have a little boy." The doctor informed them as the nurses took over.

Nick and Sara both cried as she watched the nurses tend to their new son. Nick kissed her passionately, loving her now more than ever for bringing a life into this world. Their love for each other now seemed complete and endless with a son they had created together. Nick turned to his daughter and brought her into a hug. Mally looked a little shocked, but proud and touched as she hugged her dad back.

"You're officially a big sister now!" Nick told her, kissing her head. When he pulled back, he could see she was crying from all the emotion. He kissed her again, and pulled her tight to his chest.

"Dad, would you like to cut the cord?" One of the nurses asked.

"I would be honored." Nick said, giving Mally one last squeeze, then heading over to the cart. His bouncing baby boy was still crying as he gently snipped the cord. He was still a little messy, but Nick reached down and rubbed his belly a bit, trying to calm him. Since she still had another baby to deliver, the nurse took him over to Sara and let her hold him for a few moments as a morale booster, still another hard delivery ahead of her. Sara was quietly weeping in joy as she held her son, snuggled up safe in a blanket. Mally came over and gazed down at her new brother, amazed at just how small he was.

"I'll go get him cleaned up now." The nurse smiled, and Sara gently handed her the baby.

"Bye bye, for now, baby boy." She wished him, her eyes following the tiny head until he was out of sight. Sara finally looked back down between her legs, where the doctor had been working the whole time. Nick returned to her side.

"Well, the second one should be along in just a few min…"

The room filled with loud beeps, coming from the monitor that was keeping track of the baby's heartbeat. Sara and Nick looked at each other in fear as the doctor and nurses scrambled around them.

"Sara, your baby's heartrate is dropping." The doctor informed her. "If it doesn't get back to normal in the next minute, we might have to go in and get it."

"Do whatever you need, doctor." Nick told him, as he tried to sooth his wife. The most joyful moment of his life was now followed by the most fearful one. How could it take a turn for the worse so quickly?

A minute later, the heartbeat was still off the wall, and the doctor had no choice but to start a C-section.

"Alright, Sara. We're going to have to go in." He told her reluctantly.

"Okay." She whispered. The nurses brought in a sheet attached to two poles and placed it just above Sara's belly, making both parents more worried. Nick looked back at Mally, who was looking pretty scared.

"Mally, baby, why don't you go to the waiting room with the Grissoms." Nick suggested, leaving Sara momentarily to take his daughter by the hand. Mally seemed frozen in place until her dad's hand brought her back to reality. This was really scary. If Nick hadn't pulled her along, Mally would have stayed stuck in that spot. He gently lead her out of the room and pointed to the waiting room just down the hall, giving her a kiss before he ran back to Sara.

Sara held onto Nick's hand and squeezed hard as she tried to concentrate on his face. Nick was scared, and his eyes showed it as he gazed down at Sara. Sara felt her belly go numb and heard the sounds of metallic objects working fast. She was so scared.

A/N: Tee hee. Sorry! I'll try to update soon.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: muah ha ha. Sorry I'm so evil with that cliffhanger. But I got the next chappie out pretty quick, didn't I? I hope you enjoy this last chapter. Please review!

Four sets of eyes fell on a worried and defeated-looking Mally Stokes, standing in the doorway of the waiting room. She just stopped at the entry-way, on the verge of tears. Catherine rushed over and took Mally in her arms and the other three stood up.

"Mally, sweetheart, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Catherine asked. The look on her face was just killing her. Something had gone wrong.

"N…no…." She sobbed, burying her face in Catherine's shoulder.

"Tell me what's going on." Catherine asked her, trying to sound as calm as possible, but inside she was freaking out.

"The first baby's out. He's okay. But the second…they had to do a C..C-section."

"Oh, sweetheart." Catherine hugged her closer. "I'm so sorry you had to witness that. That's hard." She just held her tight for the next few moments while the others came over and offered Mally hugs also.

"It'll be okay." Gil told her, trying to sound brave, but he was scared too. He knew Sara and the babies were in good hands, but horrible things sometimes happened. "But the first baby's just fine? A boy, you said?"

Mally smiled through her tears at the reminder she did have a healthy, baby brother in the next room. He was just fine.

"Yeah. He was screaming. He wasn't happy."

"They often aren't." Gil smiled and kissed Mally on the forehead, pulling her into a warm hug. They spent the next few minutes trying to focus on the new baby boy, instead of the other little one in trouble. Mally described how intense it had been and how small he was. Her mind was churning inside, thinking of how much fun having a baby brother around would be. Mally was thankful she had the Grissoms to comfort her in this difficult time.

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The monitors were still beeping frantically in Sara's delivery room as the doctor made incisions in her body, trying to get to the distressed baby. Nick had Sara's hand and they just tried to concentrate on each other.

"We're gonna take our two precious babies home tomorrow, Sara. And we're gonna love them like no parents have ever loved two babies. We're gonna pamper them, and hold them, and just shower them with affection. And then we're gonna get married. Outside on a beautiful spring day. You'll be beautiful…like you always are. And afterwards we'll have our first dance to our song…"

"Shake That Ass For Me?" Sara asked him. Nick laughed out loud, amazed that Sara still had a sense of humor in a time like this. That's what he loved about her – she had such a positive outlook even though she'd been through so much.

"Oh, is that our song? Maybe you're thinking of your _other_ boyfriend, because I know what our song is." Nick smiled down at her and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to start singing.

"It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart." Sara sang beautifully, her voice, however, laced in fear and worry, but with so much love for him and their children.

Nick joined in, crooning to each other.

"Without saying a word, you can light up the dark. Try as I may I could never explain what I hear when you don't say a thing."

The doctor pulled the baby from Sara's body. The umbilical cord had been caught around its neck, and he quickly relieved it. The baby coughed a little and soon started crying. Nick and Sara's eyes lit up at the beautiful, beautiful sound of their second born bawling her eyes out, sharing her anger with the world. Nick gave Sara a big kiss and then peered around the sheet to see his third child.

"You have a little girl!" The doctor said, and they couldn't be happier. Nick took in the sight of his beautiful, squealing, baby girl as she screamed her lungs out on the cart, the nurses tending to her. She was slightly smaller than her brother, but still a healthy size.

"She's gorgeous, Sara!" He smiled back at his love. He was standing halfway between his fiancée and daughter, holding Sara's hand and gazing at the newborn.

"Go to her." Sara whispered, squeezing his hand to let him know it was okay to leave her. She wanted her baby girl to have her daddy there with her through all this confusion. Nick kissed Sara's hand and then walked over to the cart. The nurses now had her wrapped up snugly in a pink blanket. The proud father marveled at the little tiny creation, with chubby cheeks and gorgeous chocolate eyes. He touched her cheek gently, stroking her tiny body to calm her down. The minute-old infant seemed to respond almost instantaneously to her father's touch, and he looked back proudly at Sara, who offered a small smile. The doctor was stitching her up no.

"Would you like to hold your daughter?" The nurse asked Nick.

"I would love to." Nick said. He reached down gently, nudging his large hands under her tiny form, supporting her head, and brought her into his arms for the first time. She cooed slightly and gazed up at Nick, all wrapped up. Nick couldn't take his eyes off of her as he slowly walked over to where Sara was laying.

"There's your momma." He said gently, turning his daughter to see her mother. Nick could tell Sara was exhausted, but through the tiredness, shone a beauty and pride he had never seen before. Her own flesh and blood was staring back at her, and she finally felt totally needed by one perfect little person. Well, two. Sara reached out and gently stroked the baby's arm. She once worried that she wouldn't be a good mother, but I sense of peace and unconditional love for these two lives had overcome her, and she knew she'd be okay.

"Hi, baby girl. I'm your mom."

Though she was weak, Sara reached out her arms, asking for her second born, and Nick carefully cradled her in his arms and passed her over to her waiting mother. The look in Sara's eyes overwhelmed Nick as he saw her maternal instincts take over, acting like a pro. He started crying softly at the beauty of the mother and child.

"You hurt me bad." She told the little child, smiling, instantly forgiving her for all the pain she'd been through. Just then, the nurse bought their son back in, fresh from being cleaned properly, and wheeled him over to Nick. He picked up his son and cradled him, sitting down next to Sara. Together, they held the two new lives they'd created.

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"We haven't heard anything for a long time. Maybe we should go check." Catherine contemplated. The Grissoms and Mally had been nervously awaiting any news of Sara and the second baby and it had been almost half an hour.

"Give it another five minutes and you can go to her room." Gil reasoned. The five were all sitting around in the chairs. Natalie had her arm maternally around Mally, who was looking fearful. Both were snuggled up next to Grissom, whereas Lindsey had changed parents and held her mother. The nineteen year old had never felt so close to her family, or realized how quickly life could change. They didn't know if the second baby had survived. She'd spent most of her life arguing with her little sister, and Mally may never get the chance to know her sibling.

Just then, Nick came down the hall, carrying two newborns in either arm. All five faces took on relief, and they all beamed with happiness and joy.

"Daddy!" Mally was the first off her face, running to him. She stopped, looking down at her two siblings, noticing the pink blanket. "It's a girl?" She asked excitedly.

"Yes, it's a girl. And a boy." He motioned with the other arm, holding a sleeping baby in a blue blanket. "Do you want to hold her?"

Mally nodded excitedly, anxious to hold her sibling and reached to take her from Nick's arms. Nick stopped her gently and lead her to sit back on the chairs. There, he carefully handed over the infant, taking in the sight of his oldest holding his youngest, less than an hour old. When he saw that his daughters were okay, he turned his attention to the others.

"Who wants to hold the baby boy?" He asked, his tone going up at the end. All three other females jumped at the offer, but he chose Catherine to hold him next. He handed over his son to the woman who'd helped him through the early years with Mally, and countless other times throughout her life.

"Aren't you precious?" Catherine cooed at the little boy. Who didn't love a newborn?

"How's Sara doing?" Gil asked his friend as he watched his wife practically melt at the new life. He bet she'd want one of her own now, too. Heh.

"She's just fine. They had to go in and get this little culprit," He rubbed the side of her chin, "But everything's alright now. The cord was wrapped around her neck. Might've been helped out by that little devil over there." He motioned to his son with his head. "Do you want to go see her? She's resting."

"Yeah, sure." They all said. The entourage walked down the hallway, Nick taking his daughter back for the trip, and Catherine still holding the little boy. They reached Sara's room to find her eyes shining back at the group of family and friends.

"Hi guys!" She smiled weakly, holding out her arm to give Mally a hug. Mally felt so connected to Sara now, and realized she didn't feel uneasy at all about showing affection towards her. Catherine came over and handed her son over to Sara, who again gazed down at the now sleeping newborn. Nick stood next to her, beaming with pride.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Natalie piped up. Nick and Sara exchanged knowing glancing.

"Yes we have, upon Mally's approval." Sara told them. "This handsome young man is Aidan Nicholas Stokes."

Everyone awed at the name, making the parents smile.

"And this beauty is Bailey Catherine Stokes." Nick told them, placing a kiss to her head. "Is that okay with you, Mal?"

"Sounds perfect." She said without missing a beat. They'd all debated months now over what the names would be, and those were actually a couple of her favorites.

"Welcome to the world, Bailey and Aidan." She said as Nick put an arm around her, kissing her head. The group of friends all smiled as they gazed at the two new sleeping lives in the room, knowing now more than ever the beauty and importance of family.

THE END!

I do plan to write a sequel to this. Please let me know if you have any ideas about when it should start back up and what drama should happen (cuz you just gotta have drama)! Thanks to all my faithful readers and reviewers – you kept me going! You rock!


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